Blackbaud Security Incident
Gillette Children’s Hospital Foundation relies on and appreciates the generosity of its donors to further our mission. We are committed to transparent communication and protection of our donor’s information. We recently learned about a data security incident that involved you or your child’s information. Please be assured that we take this incident seriously, have taken steps to address it, and are committed to protecting the information you have entrusted to us. We have mailed letters to the patients whose information might have been involved.
What Happened
Blackbaud is a leading donor and fundraising management services provider used by over 45,000 nonprofits, foundations, companies, education institutions and healthcare organizations, including the Gillette Children’s Hospital Foundation. On July 16, 2020, Blackbaud notified us that it had discovered and stopped a ransomware attack in May 2020. Before Blackbaud was able to stop the attack, the cybercriminals were able to obtain some personally identifying information from a number of Blackbaud’s clients, including Gillette. According to Blackbaud, sensitive personal information, such as Social Security numbers, bank account, and credit and debit card information were not affected as a result of the incident.
The Type of Information Involved
A very limited amount of information may have been involved. This information may have included your name, your family members’ names, date of birth, addresses, a date you or your family member saw our doctor, and the name of doctor who treated you or your family member. Blackbaud indicated they do not believe this information was disseminated or made public.
Why Do We Collect This Information?
As a nonprofit organization, Gillette Children's relies on support from Gillette Children’s Hospital Foundation to help fund the health care services, treatment and research that enables us to provide exceptional care to our patients. Often, people choose to donate to our foundation after they, or their child, have a positive experience with us. We track a limited amount of information in the Blackbaud database in case donors would like to direct their gift to a specific program.
What is Gillette Doing to Prevent This from Happening Again?
Protecting your information is something we take very seriously. We are working with Blackbaud to evaluate additional measures and safeguards to protect against this type of incident in the future.
What You Can Do
While this event did not involve any disclosure of your Social Security number or financial account details, we recommend you to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity or suspected identity theft to the proper law enforcement authorities.
While there is no evidence of misuse of the information involved in this event, you may take these steps to help protect your data:
Monitor your financial statements carefully. If you see any unauthorized or suspicious activity, promptly contact your bank, credit union, or credit card company.
Monitor your credit reports for suspicious or unauthorized activity. Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report:
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19106
1-800-680-7289
Equifax
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348
1-888-766-0008
https://www.equifax.com/personal
Please know how much we value your ongoing support and deeply regret this incident and for any inconvenience it may cause you. You can learn more about this incident by visiting blackbaud.com/securityincident. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter please contact QualityDept@gillettechildrens.com or call Candy Juergens at 833-440-1158 or 651-229-3938.