Computer and DATA Theft Victims

ONTARIO (UPDATE ON RECENT COMPUTER THEFT AT HOSPITAL) Simcoe Reformer, Simcoe, ON:

NGH’s slow response to computer theft questioned
Retired employees of hospital notified by mail

Monte Sonnenberg SIMCOE REFORMER
Monday January 22, 2007

Current and former employees of Norfolk General Hospital continue to ask questions about the flow and storage of information more than a week after a critical computer was stolen from NGH’s human resources department.
The computer, which was taken Jan. 13, contained social insurance numbers, payroll information and other sensitive data about 500 employees at the hospital and the Norfolk Hospital Nursing Home.
The computer, which was one of three taken in the break-in, contained similar information about 230 former employees.
Cathryn Evans, chair of Local 1.ON of the Service Employees International Union, represents 58 technical and clerical workers at NGH. She said employees were devastated to learn Tuesday that their personal information and the integrity of their finances were in jeopardy.
“This is a loss of trust,” Evans said Friday. “People are concerned about what might happen. My phone has been ringing off the hook and my e-mail is full. It’s been a learning experience for everyone.
“The biggest concern is for people who don’t work here anymore. I’m concerned that they be contacted in a timely manner.”
The theft wasn’t discovered until last Monday morning, two days after the break-in. Evans heard about it then. But many NGH employees didn’t learn about it until CEO Bill Lewis posted a memo Tuesday afternoon. Evans was surprised everyone wasn’t alerted sooner.

“It concerns me that there wasn’t timely reporting,” she said. “I haven’t been told what the cause of the delay was.”
The memo provides workers with numbers they can call to flag new credit applications made in their name. Workers were also told to seek advice on protective measures from their financial institutions.
Norfolk OPP were unable to help because the force didn’t learn about the nature of the theft till late Thursday afternoon. Police knew computers were stolen but were not told last Monday about the contents of the hard drives. NGH passed on this information several hours after the local press made inquiries.
Insp. Norm Denckert, chief of the force, said police are “hot on the trail.”
“We have identified some good suspects,” Denckert said Friday. “Things are happening. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.”
Lewis was unavailable for comment Friday. However, Tom Thompson, NGH’s vice-president of finance, says the hospital has done all it can to notify affected individuals. A copy of last week’s memo was mailed Thursday to all retirees on the relevant list.
Thompson and others are hopeful the information remains secure. The computers, he said, were in a locked area. As well, files were password protected. Thompson did not address a question about the modern practice of storing sensitive institutional information in secure, off-site computer banks.

Monte Sonnenberg