9/19/2018
Notice of loss of personally identifiable information and/or Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy violation for families with DHS involvement.
On or about October 31, 2017, a bag belonging to an Oklahoma County child welfare worker for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) was stolen from the worker's vehicle. The bag contained documents containing information about families with DHS involvement including information protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The documents contained all or a combination of: first and last name, case number, date of birth, age, gender, race, custody status and medical information of children (or siblings of children) who were temporarily placed at the Laura Dester Children's Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma and/or a due diligence report containing information for adults with DHS involvement including first and last names, addresses, dates of birth, and social security numbers.
The worker notified the DHS Office of Inspector General of the incident and filed a police report with the Newcastle Police Department on Oct. 31, 2017. The transporting of child welfare documents is a serious violation of DHS policy. Child welfare workers are being re-trained about policy which prohibits transporting documents pertaining to families with DHS involvement. We regret the delay in notification. Once the affected parties were identified, it took additional time for the worker to provide contact information for persons whose information was compromised.
If you have questions or concerns, contact Misty McGaugh, DHS child welfare field manager, at (405) 522-2476, the DHS Director's Helpline at 1-877-751-2972 or email HIPAABreachInfo@okdhs.org.
To protect against identify theft, DHS recommends clients monitor their credit by contacting the following credit bureaus:
Equifax
800-525-6285
Fraud Division
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
http://www.equifax.com
Experian
888-397-3742
Credit Fraud Center
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
https://www.experian.com
Trans Union
800-680-7289
Fraud Victim Assistance Unit
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
http://www.transunion.com
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