Message from the President

It’s happening around the world. Unfortunately, cyberattacks are something more individuals, businesses, and organizations are facing. You might remember that even Target experienced a data breach affecting millions of people a few years ago. It can happen to anyone, but as a health care organization, cybersecurity is something we take very seriously.

Our IT security team has worked hard to take the steps and precautions needed to protect patient information here at Spectrum Health Lakeland. Unfortunately, one of our vendors, Wolverine Solutions Group, was the recent victim of a cyberattack. You might have heard that disappointing news already and wondered what it could mean for you.

Here’s what we know: Wolverine, which prints and sends statements to patients, experienced a breach when their patient information records were stolen and held for ransom money. Although we don’t have any proof that the information was misused, we do know that cybersecurity experts have repaired the breach, making the privacy and security of patient information still our priority. The incident has been reported to regulators as a data breach. A letter has also gone out to all those whose information may have been affected.

It’s incredibly disappointing to us, and I know you’re probably feeling the same way. However, the good news is that there are still steps patients can take to protect themselves, even after a breach. Anyone affected by the incident is encouraged to use AllClear Identity Repair and Fraud Alerts with Credit Monitoring services, offered free of charge for the next year. And we can all be careful.

In fact, when it comes to cybersecurity, we can never be too careful. We can do our part helping to protect ourselves and Spectrum Health Lakeland by staying alert when using email. Never click on a message or link that you’re unsure of. Remember to slow down and look for the external sender banner at the top of the email as a warning sign. Watch for red flags.

We never want a cyberattack to happen. But now that it has, I want to thank everyone involved who is working to ensure that this incident results in the best possible outcome and that it doesn’t happen again.

If you would like to read more of Message from the President, click here