‘Everything is backed up’: Expectant mothers frustrated as ransomware incident affects Frederick hospital
People in Frederick are upset over disruptions at Frederick Health Hospital after a ransomware incident — many of the people affected are expectant mothers. The ransomware attack happened on Jan. 27 after the hospital noticed suspicious activity.
By Lisa Robinson
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FREDERICK, Maryland (WBAL) — People in Frederick are upset over disruptions at Frederick Health Hospital after a ransomware incident — many of the people affected are expectant mothers.
The ransomware attack happened on Jan. 27 after the hospital noticed suspicious activity.
“This cyberattack has been really bad on us patients,” Jacqueline Torres said.
Torres first noticed the disruptions when she visited Frederick Health’s Hospital’s urgent care.
“Everything is slow, everything is backed up,” Torres said. “They are doing everything manually by hand because computers have been down, been hacked.”
Concerned patients are heading to the “Everything Frederick” Facebook page to share their worries — especially expectant mothers.
“I have an induction date there next week. I am already overdue and am deciding if I should go to FHH if I go into spontaneous labor or just go to Shady Grove,” one post read.
Kelsey Chado is supposed to deliver on Tuesday at Frederick Health.
“It sounds like it’s up in the air,” Chado said. “We don’t know right now. We have an induction scheduled if we need it. We’ll call if I go into spontaneous labor and either go to Frederick Health or possibly Shady Grove.”
And that will mean a longer travel time.
“My understanding is offline, it’s paper strips, and I guess it’s offline to protect data,” Chado said.
A statement from Tom Kleinhanzl, President and CEO of Frederick Health, said they are on top of it, writing:
“We have confirmed that the suspicious activity was a result of ransomware. We took immediate steps to help contain the threat and are working diligently with third-party experts to restore our systems as quickly and safely as possible. Law enforcement has been notified and we will continue to support their investigation.”
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