October 2, 2026
Dear Patients,
I write to inform you of an incident potentially involving your personal health information.
As you are likely aware, early in the morning on July 18, 2026, a sinkhole opened up below the parking lot at the Oshawa Health Center. Over that weekend of July 18-19, 2026, our office was the victim of a break and enter. We were informed of the break-in on or around July28,2026 and that we were unable to investigate the matter as the building was not safe to enter. On August 13, 2026, we were allowed to enter the premises with an insurance adjuster and were allowed back in on August 27, 2026, to further investigate the extent of the theft. The police were notified and are actively investigating and pursuing the perpetrators. The property was sealed off by a recovery company and 24/7 security was implemented.
Of relevance, hard drives from the echocardiogram server and a personal computer were stolen from our office. The hard drives contained videos from the ultrasounds of hearts. These files require specialized software to be opened. For this reason, we do not expect the thieves will be able to access these records. The personal computer contained Holter monitor data and pdf consultations reports for tests conducted over the past 20-25 years. The consultation reports included patient names, birthdates, health numbers and information from that consultation. This personal computer was password protected.
If you have received an echocardiogram or a Holter monitor test with our office, it is possible that some of your records were contained in the stolen hard drives and personal computer. While we do not expect that these records will be accessed or used by the thieves, we felt obligated to notify patients of this potential breach of personal privacy. We ask that that you please let us know if anyone contacts you purporting to have access to your personal health information.
As a precautionary matter, if you have received a Holter monitor test with our office, it is possible your health card number has been affected by this theft. You should call ServiceOntario INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 or 1-800-387-5559 to report your lost or stolen health card number. If you suspect misuse of your health card number, you can report suspected cases of fraud by calling the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care at 1-888-781-5556 or e-mail at reportohipfraud@moh.gov.on.ca.
You may also wish to review this publication from the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC), Identity Theft: A Crime of Opportunity.
We will be filing a report with the Information and Privacy Commissioner. As well, we wish to notify you that you are entitled to file a complaint to the IPC about this incident, should you wish to do so. More information on this can be found at the IPC’s website, ipc.on.ca/en.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at morra1400@gmail.com.
Yours truly,
Dr. Pasqualino Morra