The Children’s Center of Hamden recently notified more than 5,000 clients and staff members that their personal and/or health information may have been compromised by a “data security incident” that occurred in December.
The center, at 1400 Whitney Ave. in Hamden, is a nonprofit youth behavioral health agency that provides childcare services for youth struggling with psychological or social problems, physical or sexual abuse, learning disabilities, substance abuse or family trauma. It employs over 200 people.
Center officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
In a notice dated Aug. 28 and posted on its website, the center said that on Dec. 28 it discovered “unusual activity within our digital environment” and immediately initiated an investigation, while also hiring independent cybersecurity experts to assist them.
The investigation found that an unauthorized third party may have accessed employee and client data. The center then reviewed the records to determine what information was taken and who was affected.
It completed the review on Aug. 7, and said that while the information affected varies by individual, the breach potentially exposed information including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, license or passport information, biometric data and diagnosis or treatment information.
The center then mailed notices “to potentially affected individuals with an available mailing address” on Aug. 28.
While the notice posted on its website does not say how many people were affected by the breach, the incident was reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights on Aug. 28 and posted on the federal online Breach Portal. The portal lists the overall number of individuals affected by the center’s breach as 5,213.
The center said it has implemented measures to enhance security and minimize the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future.
It also set up a toll-free call center to answer questions about the incident and address any concerns. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1-833-426-3652.
