By Greg Fry

Information breaches under investigation at Interior Health

Sep 29, 2017 | 10:29 AM

KAMLOOPS — Interior Health is investigating information breaches involving the personal information of about 500 current and former employees.

The health authority says the information was found in the possession of two separate individuals arrested by the Lower Mainland RCMP on two separate occasions in the last three months. Interior Health has enlisted the support of external security and privacy experts in their investigation.

“The protection of our employees’ personal information is extremely important to us,” says Mal Griffen, vice-president for human resources. “We take this seriously, including the distress this situation may cause for our staff, and have moved quickly to investigate this matter.”

Griffen stresses this situation is limited to employee records only; there is no concern for patient information.

He adds IH has contacted all impacted current employees and is in the process of notifying former employees. All are being offered one year of credit-monitoring services.

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IH says it became aware of a potential breach in late June when Mounties in the Lower Mainland reached out to them following the arrest of a person who had possession of personal information of a number of people, the majority of whom were identified as IH employees.

It notes an internal investigation was launched and impacted employees were immediately notified. Then on Sept. 20, IH was notified by Mounties of a second, similar situation involving a different individual.