Stolen computer contained health data

[Chris Walsh <cwalsh () cwalsh org>]

   Data privacy breach affects FHA


By Jeff Nagel
Black Press
Apr 16 2006


Fraser Health Authority (FHA) employees have been warned that some of  
them who used an ultra-confidential counselling service may have had  
their privacy breached as a result of a theft of a computer.
The computer with a disk inside it went missing in March from the  
Vancouver office of the Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP)  
run by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
The disk contained the names, birth dates, contact information and  
referral reasons for thousands of Lower Mainland health workers who  
sought help for intensely personal problems.
The service offers help with relationship counselling, drug or  
alcohol addictions, sexuality questions, abuse, loss and grief, and  
stress or emotional traumas - among other issues.
"People who use the EFAP program are often going through a crisis of  
some kind," said Hospital Employees' Union spokesman Mike Old. "The  
theft of that information is of great concern to the union and its  
members."
Fraser Health Authority spokesman Paul Harris said the authority  
doesn't know how many of its employees are affected.
"Because it's a confidential service we have no idea who has used  
it," he said.
Old said the HEU is troubled that health authority employees weren't  
notified of the theft until April 6 - 10 days after it happened.
The notification from EFAP indicated the data had some degree of  
encryption and might not be readily viewable.
"We have no reason to believe that the individual who stole the  
equipment is even aware or has any plans to use the information," it  
says.
EFAP says it is reviewing its security measures.
B.C.'s Information and Privacy Commissioner is investigating the  
theft and monitoring the response.

[from http://www.theprogress.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=39&cat=23]

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