Eastern Connecticut Health Network

Summary

A suspected cyberattack caused significant computer system outages impacting Eastern Connecticut Health Network and affiliated Waterbury HEALTH facilities, prompting operational disruptions across multiple healthcare services. The incident, investigated by the FBI as ransomware, forced emergency room diversions, widespread appointment rescheduling, and transition to paper-based records. Numerous outpatient clinics, specialty care units, diagnostic centers, and elective surgeries were temporarily closed, while staff implemented downtime protocols to maintain critical patient care. Prospect Medical Holdings, the parent company overseeing both networks, reported IT complications affecting facilities across multiple states, with ongoing evaluations to restore systems and mitigate further service interruptions.

Motives

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TTPs

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Description

On August 3, 2023, Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) and Waterbury HEALTH experienced a widespread computer system outage suspected to stem from a cyberattack. Prospect Medical Holdings, the Los Angeles-based owner of both networks and 14 other hospitals across four states, reported IT complications affecting all its facilities. ECHN implemented emergency room diversions at Manchester Memorial Hospital and Rockville General Hospital, initially closing ERs to ambulance traffic for two hours before reopening them to walk-in patients by 5:30 PM. Waterbury Hospital maintained emergency operations using paper-based downtime procedures but considered rescheduling outpatient appointments. The FBI's New Haven Field Office confirmed an active ransomware investigation involving local medical facilities, collaborating with law enforcement and victim organizations while withholding operational details due to the ongoing nature of the inquiry.

ECHN's interim leadership disclosed no restoration timeline for IT systems, maintaining diverted EMS transports despite reopened ERs and implementing facility-wide downtime protocols. The network closed all primary and specialty care locations, outpatient laboratories, imaging centers, urgent care facilities, and elective surgical services indefinitely. Specific service suspensions included gastroenterology procedures, podiatry clinics, stroke center operations, wound care, and women's wellness programs. Administrative staff conducted individual patient outreach to reschedule affected outpatient procedures while emphasizing continued focus on patient care continuity. ECHN executives convened bi-hourly situational assessments to evaluate the necessity of ongoing emergency department diversions, publicly acknowledging service disruptions and requesting community patience during recovery efforts. Waterbury HEALTH maintained normal patient visitation protocols throughout the incident while operating under analogous paper-based contingency measures across its inpatient and outpatient facilities.

Sources

Sources available to members: 1 source.