California: Stolen Laptop Contains Files on HIV Patients

On Monday, the Sacramento HIV/AIDS clinic CARES notified patients by letter of a breach in the security of patient information. A laptop containing the name, age, gender, race, ZIP code and HIV status of 1,764 clients was stolen, the clinic said.

"We deeply regret this happened," said Marty Keale, CARES executive director. "We take the confidentiality of our clients' health information very seriously."

The laptop was stolen Feb. 10 from the Fair Oaks home of a University of California-Davis researcher, who had taken it from the office to complete a report required to maintain a federal grant. UC Davis provides CARES with 15 clinic physicians and maintains the university's AIDS clinical trials unit there.

Both institutions said they allow certain employees to take sensitive information out of the office as long as the data is protected by password, as it was in this case. On Wednesday, the agencies said they were considering a change to require that such data be encrypted. The stolen files did not include patients' addresses or Social Security or driver's license numbers.

Keale said no evidence has surfaced that the information has been accessed, and he presumed the hard drive would be erased and the computer sold. The confidential records were probably not the target of the crime, since the thief also stole other items, said Sgt. R.L. Davis of the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. Davis said no strong leads have developed.

"It's about trust," said David, a CARES client who did not want his last name published. "My question is: Why were my medical records taken on a laptop to Fair Oaks? They shouldn't ever have been taken out of the building."

For more information, Keale said clients should call 916-914-6214 or 916-914-6342 to speak with counselors.

Back to other news for February 24, 2006