By Quinn O’Hara

A ransomware cyberattack on Ardent Health Services has left the University of Kansas Health System St. Francis campus in Topeka without the use of several online services.

On Thanksgiving morning Ardent Health Services became aware of an information technology cybersecurity incident. According to a press release from the healthcare provider, “[Ardent] immediately began working to understand the event, safeguard data, and regain functionality. As a result, Ardent proactively took its network offline, suspending all user access to its information technology applications, including corporate servers, Epic software, internet and clinical programs.”

Stormont Vail Health in Topeka said in a Nov. 27 press release that it is increasing its staff levels in response to the attack on Ardent Health Services and the resulting influx of patients from St. Francis. St. Francis reported via social media that services like MyChart and On-Demand Video Visits are temporarily unavailable at this time.

Ardent Health Services is a healthcare provider based in Nashville, Tennessee, that owns and operates 30 hospitals across the country. The attack has also affected hospitals in Texas, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.