The Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness has experienced a breach in medical record information. On March 30, the department discovered that a staff member used their credentials to log into the electronic medical record system and viewed client information. An audit of the incident showed no information was downloaded or printed.

“We regret that this incident occurred,” said Toni Navarro, director for the Department of Behavioral Wellness. “While an event like this should never have occurred, through this investigation, we have identified areas for strengthening our system and are making necessary improvements to avoid the likelihood of this occurring again.”

The breach resulted in the names, addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers, Social Security numbers, insurance information, medical record numbers, and some medical information being compromised for affected clients. All clients with compromised information have been notified.

The breach was discovered as a result of the department proactively implementing a new security measure, which immediately called attention to the breach and will continue to serve this function going forward, the department reports.

Upon discovery of the breach, further access to client records was terminated, and the department implemented all required and appropriate actions with regards to the employee who accessed the records. Ongoing audits continue to occur for this investigation and will continue on a regular basis to ensure department staff are not accessing patient information outside their scope of duties.

Additional security audits will continue, as well as updates to current client outreach procedures, to prevent a recurrence.

For more about identity theft, visit the California Department of Justice Privacy Unit. Contact the department toll-free 24/7 Access Line, 888-868-1649 for questions or assistance.

To learn more about the Department of Behavioral Wellness, visit https://www.countyofsb.org/274/Behavioral-Wellness. For help accessing Behavioral Wellness services, call the 24/7 toll-free Crisis Response and Services Access Line, 888-868-1649.