Two hospitals in the Hackensack Meridian Health system, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood and Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, have temporarily closed their emergency rooms to new patients following a ransomware attack on the hospital system’s computer network. As a result, both facilities have been placed on divert emergency room status.
In a statement, Hackensack Meridian addressed the situation, saying, “As a precaution, our emergency rooms are currently on divert status. There is no adverse impact on patient care.” This measure is taken to ensure patient safety and care quality while the hospitals deal with the cyberattack’s ramifications.
Currently, there is no information available regarding the perpetrators of the attack, nor is it clear whether any specific demands or requests have been made to the hospital. Additionally, the timeline for when the emergency rooms will resume accepting new patients remains uncertain as the situation is being addressed.
