Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago has confirmed that its network had fallen prey to a cyberattack by a “known criminal threat actor.” This revelation comes over a week into a complete shutdown of its communication network.
Despite the disruption caused by the shutdown, the hospital system remains committed to prioritizing patient care. Brian Stahulak, Lurie’s chief nursing and clinical officer, reiterated the hospital’s dedication to its mission of caring for vulnerable children in Illinois.
He emphasized that ensuring safe, high-quality care to patients and communities remains their foremost concern. Lurie Children’s Hospital holds a prominent national reputation and stands as the largest children’s hospital in the Chicago area.
Its network spans immediate care centers and clinics across suburban areas, directing the most critically ill and complex pediatric cases to its downtown facility. Dr. Marcelo Malakooti, Lurie’s chief medical officer, explained that the decision to take systems offline on January 31 was prompted by evidence of suspicious activity and aligned with industry best practices.
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This system shutdown included phones, email services, electronic medical records, and the MyChart patient portal, which families rely on for messaging providers and scheduling appointments.
The hospital’s leadership addressed the situation at a news conference near the Streeterville hospital, marking the first public comments beyond the statements posted on the hospital’s website and social media channels.
While the remarks were brief and not followed by a question-and-answer session, hospital officials acknowledged the understandable frustration and concern among people affected by the incident. They also expressed their appreciation for the dedication and resilience exhibited by their employees during this challenging time.
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Despite efforts to rectify the situation, Lurie officials did not provide an estimate for when their systems would be back online. The FBI confirmed its involvement but declined to provide further details about its investigation.
Lurie has established a call center for families to leave messages with an operator with communication channels disrupted. However, some parents have reported difficulties in receiving callbacks.
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Despite the network outage, Lurie Children’s Hospital continues to provide care to its patients. While operating without access to online medical records, healthcare providers are resorting to traditional paper-based methods and using text messages to communicate with patients as they work towards resolving the cyberattack’s aftermath.
The hospital’s dedication to patient care remains unwavering, even in the face of this unforeseen cyber threat. As they navigate the challenges posed by the network shutdown, Lurie Children’s Hospital continues to demonstrate its commitment to serving the needs of the community and ensuring the well-being of its young patients.
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