Call Us

Coastal Plains Integrated Health Data Breach

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm on August 5, 2024 in Data Breach

NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from Coastal Plains Integrated Health, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.

padlock icon data breach graphicOn or about July 30, 2024, Costal Plains Integrated Health (“Coastal Plains”) sent a Notice of Data Breach Letter (“Breach Letter”) via mail to victims of the Coastal Plains data breach informing them that their personal information, Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) and Protected Health Information (“PHI”), was obtained by unauthorized users who accessed Coast Plains network (“data breach”) between November 12, 2023, and November 13, 2023.

After Coastal Plains became aware of the potential unauthorized access to its network, it launched an investigation. The investigation determined that unauthorized users had accessed and removed files from Coastal Plains’ network. As a result of the data breach, hackers obtained from victims their first and last names, dates of birth, social security numbers, and other personal and/or health information.

Founded in 1996, Coastal Plains is a mental healthcare service provider that treats approximately 3,400 adults and 1,000 children with mental illnesses. Coastal Plains is headquartered in Portland, Texas and has nine locations across the southern region of the state, employing roughly 300 full-time employees and contractors.

Specific numbers are not yet known, but it is likely thousands of people in Texas and possibly throughout the United States were exposed. If you received a Breach Letter from Coastal Plains, then you were impacted by the data breach.

Coastal Plains has not offered any free credit monitoring or identify theft protection currently.

WHAT INFORMATION IS INVOLVED?

According to Coastal Plains, the following information was exposed:

  • First and Last Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Social Security Number
  • Driver’s License Number
  • Passport Number
  • Medical Information
  • Health Insurance Information
  • Financial Account Information

This information is called your Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”). It tells others about you and is considered part of your identity. Businesses are required to secure this information or risk facing statutory penalties, among other legal penalties. Stolen PII can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity.

Personal medical information (a specific type of PII) is referred to as Protected Health Information. It is protected under both state and federal law. Health care providers and other businesses who handle PHI are required to protect that information. Like stolen PII, stolen PHI can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity. Quite often, PII and PHI are used in conjunction by hackers.

The best way to protect yourself after a data breach is to sign up for credit and identity protection services as soon as possible.

NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from Coastal Plains, contact the Arnold Law Firm at (916) 777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.