Cyberattack Disrupts New Mexico Emergency Services

A major hospital network in the US state of New Mexico rushed to address a cybersecurity problem that forced it to direct ambulances to other hospitals, leaving the state without an emergency department capable of handling the most serious injuries.

The University of New Mexico Health System asked citizens not to go to its main hospital in Albuquerque and canceled appointments at more than 30 of its affiliated clinics.

It said it was working to resolve the issue, whose nature or scope was not immediately clear.

The hospital network receives about 900,000 outpatient visits and 100,000 emergency room visits annually, according to its website.

It also operates the state's only Level I trauma center, which is the highest level for providing specialized care to patients with severe injuries.

Presbyterian Healthcare Services and Lovelace Health System, two of the other leading healthcare providers in New Mexico, said they were coordinating with the University of New Mexico Health System, including accepting additional patients.

The University of New Mexico Health System said in a statement that its hospitals and clinics began gradually resuming operations later in the day.

Several employees of the "New Mexico" university health sector reported receiving voice alerts on their computers while working before noon on Monday, claiming a breach and theft of student and staff data as well as patient records.