Community Health Center Data Breach Exposes PHI

On January 2, 2025, Community Health Center, Inc. (CHC) experienced a significant data breach that may have impacted over one-hundred thousand individuals. The breach was discovered when unusual activity was detected in CHC's computer systems.

Upon investigation, it was revealed that a skilled criminal hacker had gained unauthorized access to the system. Fortunately, the hacker did not delete or lock any data, and CHC's daily operations remained unaffected. The breach was contained within a few hours, minimizing the potential damage.

The personal information that may have been exposed includes sensitive details from health records:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Phone number
• Email
• Diagnoses
• Treatment details
• Test results
• Social Security number
• Health insurance information
• Guarantor information
• Progress notes
• Medications
• Records received from other providers
• Gender
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Date of test
• Result information
• Vaccine type, dose, and date administered
• Insurance information
• Insured other

The breach was formally disclosed to the California Attorney General's office on January 30, 2025. You can view the official disclosure on the California Attorney General's website.

Community Health Center's Response

In response to the breach, CHC has taken several steps to enhance security and protect the affected individuals. They have strengthened their security measures and implemented special software to monitor for suspicious activity continuously. To support those potentially impacted by the breach, CHC is offering free identity theft protection services through IDX.

These services include:

• 24 months of credit and CyberScan monitoring
• A $1,000,000 insurance reimbursement policy
• Assistance with identity recovery if stolen

Affected individuals are encouraged to enroll in these services by visiting IDX's enrollment page or by calling IDX at 1-877-229-9277. The deadline to enroll is April 30, 2025.