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PRH Experiencing Service Delays And Some Cancellations Due To Ongoing Investigation Into Cybersecurity Incident

27/6/2025

The Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) is currently experiencing service delays and has had to cancel certain appointments and procedures as a result of a cybersecurity incident that took place earlier this week.

 

With the preliminary investigation complete, PRH President and CEO Sabine Mersmann is offering reassurance that patient information does not appear to have been compromised.

 

“We take privacy and security very seriously and maintaining the trust of our patients, our community and our health care team is of the utmost importance to us. Unfortunately, due to the rapidly evolving nature of cyber threats, it is not always possible to prevent against all forms of attacks,” Mrs. Mersmann said.

 

“Upon detection of this incident Tuesday morning, we rapidly initiated our incident response plan and deployed countermeasures to prevent further unauthorized access to our network, including taking systems offline.”

 

The hospital promptly engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to assist with containment and remediation, and to conduct a forensic investigation to determine the cause and extent of the incident. These experts, along with the PRH IT team, have since been working around the clock to complete a thorough review of each system before bringing them online again.

 

Using a robust Incident Management System, the hospital’s management and senior leadership teams have been meeting regularly throughout the incident to obtain real time status updates regarding all programs and services.

 

While this has been taking place, the hospital has implemented many process changes for its services. While these have enabled the safe and secure delivery of high-quality care at PRH, this change has resulted in minor disruptions, delays, and a limited number of cancellations for specific appointments and procedures. Any affected patients are being contacted directly regarding appointment changes.

 

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to our entire health care team for their dedication, adaptability, and keen attention to detail throughout this situation. Many had to quickly return to previous paper-based practices, all while ensuring that patient safety remained the top priority and that the quality of care consistently met expectations,” Mrs. Mersmann said. She also expressed her thanks to the hospital’s health care partners and other hospitals who were made aware of aspects of the situation early on and have stepped up to assist PRH where necessary.

 

At this time, it is anticipated that full restoration of systems could be completed as early as next week. In the meantime, the hospital is doing all that it can to ensure minimal disruption.

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Carolyn Levesque, Public Affairs and Communications Coordinator

Pembroke Regional Hospital

(613) 732-3675, extension 6165 / carolyn.levesque@prh.ca

Mental Health Services:

Phone: (613) 732-8770, extension 8005

Toll Free: 1-800-991-7711

Fax: (613) 735-8238

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call our 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line 1-866-996-0991

Get In Touch

705 Mackay Street
Pembroke, Ontario
K8A 1G8

Phone: (613) 732-2811

Email: pr@prh.ca

 

Release of Information office:

Requesting Medical Chart/Information

ROE@prh.ca

(613) 732-2811, extension 6142

(613) 732-6343 Fax

 

Emergency Department Fax:

(613) 732-6351

Fracture Clinic Fax:

(613) 633-4578 

Lab Fax:

(613) 732-6353