UF Health-The Villages Hospital was paralyzed as a result of a ransomware attack launched over the Memorial Day weekend.
The freezing up of the hospital’s computers, along with those at UF Health-Leesburg Hospital, came at the same time the hospital’s new chief operating officer, Heather Bentley Long, was taking the reins.
The ransomware attack forced medical staff to revert to pen and paper and created long wait times for patients. It happened at a time when COVID-19 was already making life difficult for hospital staff.
UF Health played down the ransomware attack, but on July 30 notified the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that 700,981 people were potentially exposed during the data breach.
The computers began to come back online in late June.
A local woman filed a lawsuit against UF Health seeking damages in excess of $5 million. She claims her personal information was compromised during the ransomware attack and that the hospital system should have been better prepared.
