Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton

The Community Health Centers of Greater Dayton (CHCGD) experienced a breach of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) when an unsecured email containing personal patient information was sent to one of their business associates. The email, which was sent on February 2, 2023, was intended for the correct recipient but was not sent in a secure manner, thus constituting a HIPAA violation[1][5].

The email contained personal information regarding 516 dental patients, including names, dates of birth, medical record numbers, appointment dates and times, and a brief description of the reason for the dental visit. The information pertained to the period between October 11, 2022, and December 15, 2022[1][5].

In response to the breach, CHCGD has taken steps to strengthen their safeguards and retrain their staff on the proper procedures for sending emails securely. They are also working with technical support to enhance their security measures. Affected patients are expected to receive a letter in their mailbox with information on how to protect themselves from potential harm resulting from the leak of their personal information[1][5].

The incident highlights the importance of secure communication methods when handling protected health information to prevent unauthorized access and ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations.

Citations:

1. https://www.wdtn.com/news/local-news/dayton-medical-organization-subject-to-hipaa-breach/
2. https://www.ibm.com/topics/data-breach
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5. https://dayton247now.com/news/local/hipaa-breach-involving-patient-information-at-commmunity-health-centers-of-greater-dayton
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20. https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/mercy-health-patients-among-giant-data-breach-affecting-8-9-million-people-company-says
21. https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/reform/rules-business-and-organisations/obligations/what-data-breach-and-what-do-we-have-do-case-data-breach_en
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23. https://www.idstrong.com/sentinel/112k-records-stolen-from-population-healthec/
24. https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/security/what-is-a-data-breach/
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