County of Los Angeles Departments of Health Services and Public Health

The covered entity (CE), County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services and Public Health, reported that multiple employees were the subjects of an email phishing scheme that affected the protected health information (PHI) of 252,856 individuals. The PHI involved included names, addresses, dates of birth, drivers’ license and Social Security numbers, financial information, diagnoses and conditions, lab results, medications, and other treatment information. The CE notified HHS, the affected individuals, the media, and provided substitute notice. In response to the breach, the CE provided complimentary credit monitoring services and implemented additional technical safeguards. Staff were retrained on email security.