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GREENVILLE – The unauthorized access of Vidant Health databases has breached some of its medical records.

Vidant officials said they were notified of a global data security incident on July 16 at Blackbaud, which provides customer relationship management and financial services tools for fundraising purposes to thousands of schools, non-profits and health systems, including Vidant Health.

“Blackbaud further informed us that an unauthorized individual may have acquired backup copies of databases used by its customers, including a backup of a database the Vidant Health Foundation uses for fundraising efforts,” stated Brian Wudkwych, Vidant External Communications Specialist, in a press release sent Monday.

Upon notification from Blackbaud, Wudkwych said Vidant took immediate steps to understand the extent of the incident and those affected will receive a formal notice letter with more information.

“Based on our review of the Blackbaud database involved in the incident, we have reason to believe that it contained patient information, including name, address, telephone number, email address, age, date(s) and department(s) of service, name of treating physician(s) and health insurance status. Social security numbers or credit card information were not part of the data we store on the Blackbaud database and were not involved in the incident,” Wudkwych said.

Blackbaud has reported it has no reason to believe any personal data involved in the incident went beyond the unauthorized entity; was or will be misused; or will be disseminated or otherwise made available publicly.

“Though we are not aware of any misuse of the information involved in the incident, we recommend those affected review the statements they receive from their healthcare providers,” Wudkwych suggested. “If someone sees services they did not receive, please contact the provider immediately. To reduce the likelihood of any repeat occurrence, we are examining our vendor relationship with Blackbaud and evaluating their security safeguards.

Wudkwych stressed that Vidant, “deeply regrets any inconvenience the incident may cause and we remain committed to transparency and protecting patient privacy.”

A dedicated call center has been established to answer questions for those affected. Those affected can contact (888) 977-0614, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. EST (excluding major U.S. holidays) if they have questions or need further assistance.