Massachusetts Hospital Still Recovering From Christmas Cyber Incident

A cyber incident that reportedly began on December 24 disrupted the electronic medical records system and caused a Massachusetts hospital to redirect ambulances to other hospitals on Christmas day.

Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport told WCVB-TV that it was again accepting ambulances on December 26 and has remained open to all patients even as it continues to work on restoring systems.

The not-for-profit community hospital, part of the Beth Israel Lahey Health System, has not released any details on the incident or indicated whether patient records have been affected.

According to the Newburyport Daily News, which first reported the incident, the hospital said on January 2 — more than a week after the event — that it was still working with external cybersecurity officials to restore information systems affected by the attack.

The hospital spokesperson told the local newspaper that the FBI is conducting its own investigation.

The hospital, with more than 1,000 employees, is the largest employer in the small coastal city that is north of Boston and close to the New Hampshire border.

Nurses at Anna Jaques have been complaining about working conditions and low pay. New contract negotiations between the hospital and nurses are currently underway.

As a result of a merger in 2019, Anna Jaques is clinically affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Boston academic medical center and teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School.