Strauss Borrelli PLLC, a leading data breach law firm, is investigating Gandara Mental Health Center (“Gandara Center”), regarding its recent data breach. The Gandara Center data breach may have involved sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information belonging to over 17,000 individuals.
ABOUT GANDARA MENTAL HEALTH CENTER:
Gandara Center is a healthcare organization based in Massachusetts. Founded in 1977, Gandara Center provides behavioral health, substance abuse, and preventative services for culturally diverse populations.2 Additionally offering bilingual care, the Gandara Center serves nearly 15,000 individuals per year at 100 locations across Massachusetts.2 Headquartered in West Springfield, Massachusetts, the Gandara Center employes over 500 individuals.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Recently, Gandara Center announced that it had experienced a data breach in which the sensitive personal identifiable information and protected health information in its systems may have been accessed and acquired. According to the breach notice, on June 20, 2024, Gandara Center became aware of suspicious activity within its network. As a result, Gandara Center launched an investigation to determine the nature of the incident.
Through its investigation, Gandara Center confirmed that sensitive personal information belonging to current and former patients in its systems may have been viewed and obtained by an unauthorized third-party. As a result, Gandara Center began a review of the data to determine what information had been impacted as well as identify the specific individuals affected. While the information impacted varies depending on the individual, the type of information potentially exposed includes:
- Name
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- Driver’s license number
- Medical information (such as treatment or diagnosis information)
- Health insurance information
On October 24, 2024, Gandara Center posted notice of the incident on its website. Additionally, on October 23, 2024, Gandara Center began mailing data breach notification letters to impacted individuals. Based on the breach notice sent to Massachusetts residents, Gandara Center is providing affected individuals with a list of the specific type of sensitive information impacted and complimentary credit monitoring services. A link to the form breach notifications that Gandara Center posted to its website and filed with the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are below.
If you received a breach notification letter from Gandara Mental Health Center:
We would like to speak with you about your rights and potential legal remedies in response to this data breach. Please fill out the form, below, or contact us at 872.263.1100 or sam@straussborrelli.com.
