NEWBURYPORT — Days after what was called a cyberattack shut down Anna Jaques Hospital’s health record system on Christmas, hospital administrators are saying little about what caused the massive failure or whether the problem has been remedied.

“Upon discovery, we immediately secured our environment and engaged cybersecurity professionals to assist in the investigation. While there may be some delays in receiving services, patient safety remains our top priority,” a hospital spokesperson said on Wednesday.

At the height of the crisis, Anna Jaques Hospital staff were turning away ambulance crews from delivering patients to its emergency department and diverting them to area hospitals.

“We have resumed admitting new patients from ambulance service in the emergency department after diverting ambulance arrivals on Dec. 25. We are in the early stages of our investigation and will provide updates as new information becomes available. We appreciate the community’s patience as we work through this investigation,” the spokesperson said.

Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon said he was informed on Christmas that the hospital’s electronic health record system was down and staff were diverting ambulances to other facilities.

“I think anytime a cyberattack has occurred in our community, it is incredibly concerning especially when the health of our residents is at stake. I know the hospital is working extremely hard to get things back up to normal,” Reardon wrote in a Thursday email.

Asked for more details on the nature of the crisis and whether it was a targeted cyberattack, the same hospital spokesperson did not answer.

“We made the decision to temporarily divert ambulance service to ensure safe and effective care for every patient. Service was resumed on the afternoon of Dec. 26. We alerted other hospitals within the Beth Israel-Lahey Health system, including Exeter Hospital and Beverly Hospital, to be available to accept new patients from Anna Jaques’ service are,” the spokesperson said, in response.

The spokesperson on Thursday said recovery efforts are still in progress.

Following the cyberattack, the union representing hospital nurses sent along a battery of questions for hospital administrators asking for how important information would be processed, and what steps would be taken to ensure there would be enough staff on hand to meet the needs of patients.

Nurses at the hospital has spent the balance of 2023 speaking up against what they consider poor working conditions there as their contract ends at the end of the year.

Union spokesperson David Schildmeier said hospital administrators acknowledged receipt of the questions but as of Thursday afternoon had not adequately answered them.

“Let us be clear, the issues we raise our related the clinical concerns related to the delivery of patient care. We can’t understand why the administration has yet to engage with us on these issues,” Schildmeier said.

The union also took the unusual step of sending a memo to the Department of Public Health highlighting its concerns in the wake of the recent cyberattack.

“We are writing to inform the Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality that since Dec. 24, all electronic medical records systems and, indeed, all networked computers of any function have been shut down at Anna Jaques Hospital as a result of a cyberattack. Management has been trying to fix the problem, but management has told staff that there is not yet an end in sight, and they cannot estimate how many days it will be before restoration will be achieved,” the letter reads.

Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @drogers41008.

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