TransForm continues to grapple with cyberattack

A shared service organization that provides information technology services for five Southwestern Ontario hospitals continues to grapple with the fallout from a recent cyberattack.

Article content

However, aside from several joint media releases over the past two weeks, Postmedia has been unable to reach officials with TransForm Shared Service Organization.

Article content

TransForm, which launched in 2013, is a not-for-profit organization founded by the five hospitals in Erie St. Clair to manage their hospital IT, supply chain and accounts payable needs.

It serves Bluewater Health, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and Windsor Regional Hospital.

Postmedia has attempted to connect with TransForm on several occasions early on during the attack. At door of the organization’s Chatham headquarters on Friday, a staff member directed all queries to a communications official.

Article content

“We understand the impact this incident is having on members of our community, including patients and our employees and professional staff, and deeply apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We want to thank everyone for their patience during this time,” stated a release issued Thursday.

“Due to the fact we have notified and engaged law enforcement as part of a criminal investigation, we remain limited in what we can say. We will provide more information when we are advised we are in a position to do so.”

In addition to hospital services, TransForm serves various healthcare service providers, including community care centers, long-term care homes, hospices, family health teams and Ontario Health Teams.

Article content

However, shared service providers haven’t been without their critics, including NDP Health Critic France Gélinas.

In a 2018 interview with the Windsor Star, she initially expressed concerns about the growing use of the providers, with respect to their accountability and transparency, believing that many people are unaware of how such organizations operate.

When reached Friday about the cyberattack, she said she sympathizes with all the patients impacted, calling trust the cornerstone of the health-care system.

“You have to be able to share with the people in those hospitals things you would not share with anyone else, in order for them to be able to help you and to care for you with the highest quality,” Gélinas told Postmedia. “This is devastating. This is really, really bad.”

She said other hospitals have experienced cyberattacks, but never on this scale before.

“This is also preventable and this is also something we knew was coming,” Gélinas added. “I’m really sorry for the people of southwestern Ontario that have to live through this.”

– With Postmedia files

Article content