UMMC closes clinics again on Friday, cancels elective procedures in wake of major cybersecurity attack | News
Publish Date: 2026-02-19 17:03:00
Source Domain: www.wtva.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points.
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) — The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) continues to assess the damage from a major cybersecurity attack on Thursday morning.The Jackson-based hospital system first acknowledged the attack on Thursday morning.The attack impacted the hospital’s ability to access its electronic medical records, but it’s currently using “downtime procedures” to provide care to patients.As a result, UMMC canceled non-emergency surgeries and closed its statewide clinics on Thursday.The hospital canceled all elective procedures and closed all of its statewide clinics again on Friday.Its hospitals and emergency departments will remain open throughout this process.Specific details about the attack remain unknown, and UMMC is working with state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to uncover more details about the attack.Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Dr. LouAnn Woodward said the hospital has been in contact with the attackers.UMMC completely took down its IT systems as it assesses the damage and risk until further notice.UMMC has hospitals in Jackson, Grenada, Holmes County and Madison County, plus clinics throughout the state.North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS), which is a separate hospital system based in Tupelo, issued the following statement about the UMMC attack.“There is no indication that North Mississippi Health Services systems or services have been compromised or impacted by the cyber incident reported at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC),” says Dr. Chris Davis, chief information officer at NMHS. “Our focus is on preventing any vulnerabilities by association and protecting our network, data and patient information. We are taking precautionary measures intended to limit exposure pathways while UMMC addresses its internal outage. Our priority remains protecting NMHS systems, patient data and continuity of care while maintaining awareness of developments at neighboring organizations.”Baptist Memorial Health Care, which is a separate hospital system that operates several hospitals and clinics in Mississippi, issued the following statement.“We are aware of the recent breach against a local health care system’s technology system. Our systems have not been affected, and our hospitals and clinics remain open to support the community. We are also temporarily increasing staffing to support our fellow health care providers and help offset any immediate needs or surge in demand for health care services in the area. Our priority is to continue providing seamless access to quality health care in the region.”
