Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC) in West Brighton has experienced a recent ransomware attack, leading to an ongoing network outage that has severely impacted online services at the hospital.
The extent of the breach and its effects on the over-470 bed facility are currently unclear, and RUMC is actively investigating the incident with the help of third-party cybersecurity experts to assess the potential vulnerability of information and restore full functionality to their systems.
The attack has caused significant complications at the hospital, with intermittent outages starting on Friday and gradually intensifying over the weekend.
Connectivity disruptions have forced the manual entry of data and necessitated individual patient monitoring by nurses, further exacerbating the challenges faced by the facility.
Cyber attacks against hospitals have become increasingly sophisticated in recent years, posing a serious threat to patient care. The American Hospital Association’s Center for Health Innovation warns that the frequency and complexity of these attacks highlight the urgent need for enhanced protections in healthcare institutions.
Although RUMC has not disclosed whether a specific ransom demand has been made, the hospital remains operational and continues to provide full services, including emergency care, admissions, and outpatient, inpatient, and surgical services.
RUMC emphasizes that proactive containment measures have minimized disruptions, with the exception of trauma and stroke services during overnight hours, while assuring patients that the hospital maintains its commitment to delivering high-quality care.
