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Last Tuesday, Jason Cabot prepped for an abdominal surgery: he fasted for 24 hours and drank three tablespoons of intestine-cleansing milk of magnesia. But until he showed up at 5:30 a.m. the next day at Scripps Mercy Health in San Diego, he had no idea if the surgery was going to happen.
Scripps Health, a large health system in California, on May 1 experienced a disruption to its IT systems, which has since been tied to malware discovered on the health system s computer network. To contain the malware, Scripps said it took a portion of its network offline, disrupting access to the health system s email servers, patient portal and other applications.
State regulator watching Scripps Health ransomware attack closely
A view of Scripps Memorial Hospital in Hillcrest on Monday, May 3, 2021.
(Sandy Huffaker/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Patient care continues at impacted hospitals as others take up the slack
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The California Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday, May 5, that it is monitoring the ransomware attack that has severely impacted Scripps Health facilities throughout San Diego County, but has thus far determined that emergency procedures under way since Saturday, May 1, have been adequate to ensure patients are safe.
The agency, which oversees all hospitals in the state, said that Scripps notified it of the “ransomware attacks” and that it is “actively monitoring” the situation.
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The California Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that it is monitoring the ransomware attack that has severely impacted Scripps Health facilities throughout San Diego County, but has thus far determined that emergency procedures under way since Saturday have been adequate to ensure patients are safe.
The agency, which oversees all hospitals in the state, said that Scripps notified it of the “ransomware attacks” and that it is “actively monitoring” the situation.
“These hospitals are operational and caring for patients using appropriate emergency protocols in inpatient areas of the hospital,” a statement said.
CDPH further noted that it has the authority to “involuntarily suspend” the licenses of facilities if it determines that the care being provided is unsafe. However, the mere fact that a hospital is operating under “emergency protocols” does not, in and of itself, “warrant such action.”
NBC 7 s Dana Griffin spoke to a patient whose wait for surgery has been extended by the cyberattack.
While Cabot s surgery was performed, he had no idea if it was still on the schedule in the days leading up to it.
Cabot told NBC 7 he called and emailed Scripps beforehand.
“They had no access to patient records,” Cabot said. “And that email bounced back because all of Scripps emails are down.”
Cabot then wrote this message on the Scripps Facebook page:
“I have surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning and have heard absolutely nothing. I have been fasting all day and plan to show up at the hospital [at] 5 a.m. as instructed but will be very disappointed if this surgery is canceled. I have been waiting a long time for it.”