Patient records may have been accessed during a break-in at a Texas behavioral health facility.
The Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network, which operates clinics, counseling and recovery centers, said it notified law enforcement and regulatory agencies about the privacy and data security incident.
On Nov. 20, “we discovered that an unauthorized individual had unlawfully entered one of our facilities during a break-in,” the system said in a statement. “Paper patient records stored in the building may have been accessed or removed without authorization. Law enforcement was notified promptly.”
The facility was undergoing renovations for leaky pipes when maintenance workers discovered one of the building’s doors had been tampered with. The workers also noticed signs that people may have been living in the building, according to a Dec. 18 report from KWTX, an affiliate of CBS and Telemundo.
Patient information containing names, Social Security numbers and insurance details from the 1990s and early 2000s was found after the break-in, according to KWTX.
“There’s no indication that any of it was used for any reason at all, and none that any was taken,” Ron Kimbell, chief of children, families and development at Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network, told the news outlet.
He said the organization added fencing and increased security rounds at the facility, which is being renovated.
