Information Breach Reported By Hillsborough County

TAMPA, FL — Hillsborough County Aging Services has notified about 650 clients about a possible breach of protected health information that occurred in 2011. The potential breach was brought to the county’s attention in December 2016 by a former employee.

According to the county, the possible breach occurred in March 2011 when an employee of aging services left her post. The woman came into possession of “personal, protected information including social security numbers, addresses, financial information and/or case notes” related to about 650 then-clients of the agency, the county wrote in a media release.

The former employee reportedly found a box containing the documents in December of last year as she was preparing to move, Karla Munoz of the county's aging services department told Patch. The woman, in turn, brought the documents back to the agency and reported the breach.

After the documents were returned, the county conducted an investigation into the possible breach. That investigation “has not revealed any facts indicating the information has been out of possession of the former employee or used inappropriately or maliciously,” the county noted in its release.

After learning about the possible breach, the county notified all affected clients by mail, and reported the situation to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs.

Clients affected by the breach have also been offered free credit monitoring services for a year out of “an abundance of caution,” the county said. Clients affected by the breach will receive instructions on how to use the credit monitoring service by mail. They may also contact Elizabeth Cardenas, Hillsborough County’s HIPAA Privacy Officer, at 800-466-5400 or by mail at P.O. Box 1110, Tampa, FL 33601.

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