Break-in poses security threat to Multnomah County Health Department patients - oregonlive.com
Break-in poses security threat to Multnomah County Health Department patients
Published: Mar. 17, 2023, 6:51 p.m.
Gladys McCoy Health Department Headquarters
Someone broke into the Gladys McCoy Health Department Headquarters in Old Town in February and Multnomah County officials started notifying patients Friday of the security breach.Elliot Njus/Staff
facebook
twitter
Signed-in readers now can bookmark stories to read later.
NEW!
By Lisa Moreno | The Oregonian/OregonLive
The Multnomah County Health Department began notifying over 2,000 patients Friday that a month-old security breach may have put their personal information at risk.
Someone broke into the Gladys McCoy Health Department headquarters in Old Town on the night of Feb. 17 and the county notified police on Feb. 21 after discovering the burglary, county officials said.
The suspect entered rooms in the McCoy building that contained paper records listing names, Social Security numbers, addresses and contact information of patients who receive care in Multnomah County, according to the county.
The burglar also may have accessed employee financial and personal documents, investigators said. The county reported several stolen items, including a laptop and client cellphones.
Investigators aren’t sure if the burglar viewed or removed personal files, but the county is identifying patients who were potentially affected, officials said in a news release. They should receive letter notifications by next week.
A county spokesperson said officials don’t believe records from the Multnomah County STD Clinic, Tuberculosis Clinic or the Student Health Centers – all stationed in the headquarters – were affected, and no other clients of other Multnomah County departments were involved.
In light of the breach, the county’s security team did additional training on how to sweep the building for trespassers and when to notify authorities, officials said.
Affected clients and employees can call a hotline at 1-800-939-4170 to ask questions or access free identity protection services.
Portland police arrested 39-year-old Ruben Turner on Wednesday for allegedly breaking into the offices, a Police Bureau spokesperson said. He is accused of two counts of second-degree burglary.
Published: Mar. 17, 2023, 6:51 p.m.
Gladys McCoy Health Department Headquarters
Someone broke into the Gladys McCoy Health Department Headquarters in Old Town in February and Multnomah County officials started notifying patients Friday of the security breach.Elliot Njus/Staff
Signed-in readers now can bookmark stories to read later.
NEW!
By Lisa Moreno | The Oregonian/OregonLive
The Multnomah County Health Department began notifying over 2,000 patients Friday that a month-old security breach may have put their personal information at risk.
Someone broke into the Gladys McCoy Health Department headquarters in Old Town on the night of Feb. 17 and the county notified police on Feb. 21 after discovering the burglary, county officials said.
The suspect entered rooms in the McCoy building that contained paper records listing names, Social Security numbers, addresses and contact information of patients who receive care in Multnomah County, according to the county.
The burglar also may have accessed employee financial and personal documents, investigators said. The county reported several stolen items, including a laptop and client cellphones.
Investigators aren’t sure if the burglar viewed or removed personal files, but the county is identifying patients who were potentially affected, officials said in a news release. They should receive letter notifications by next week.
A county spokesperson said officials don’t believe records from the Multnomah County STD Clinic, Tuberculosis Clinic or the Student Health Centers – all stationed in the headquarters – were affected, and no other clients of other Multnomah County departments were involved.
In light of the breach, the county’s security team did additional training on how to sweep the building for trespassers and when to notify authorities, officials said.
Affected clients and employees can call a hotline at 1-800-939-4170 to ask questions or access free identity protection services.
Portland police arrested 39-year-old Ruben Turner on Wednesday for allegedly breaking into the offices, a Police Bureau spokesperson said. He is accused of two counts of second-degree burglary.
