KETTERING — UPDATE @ 6:20 p.m.:
Kettering Health has spoken for the first time in person about a cyber attack that caused a massive disruption.
John Weimer, senior vice president and leader for incident command at Kettering Health, said the health network “did not expect to be down for this period of time.”
“We understand that this has been extremely frustrating for our patients, families, and community partners,” Weimer said.
Weimer said he can’t comment on whether the cyber attack was related to NATO being in town, and it will need to be investigated further.
He said Kettering Health is still working with its partners to learn if employee or patient information was compromised.
Weimer said he does know that apps like MyChart were not compromised.
In a separate statement provided to News Center 7, a Kettering Health spokesperson provided additional information on elective surgeries, employee payment, and emergency department diversions.
Regarding elective surgeries, a spokesperson said that procedures are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis “based upon collaborative decision-making between care teams.”
The spokesperson also clarified that all employees are being paid.
On emergency department diversions, the spokesperson said, “our emergency departments, hospitals, and clinics remain open. Teams are working to put processes in place to limit diversions from emergency departments.”
We will continue to follow this story.
INITIAL REPORT:
Leadership at Kettering Health is providing more information about the cyberattack on Tuesday that has caused system-wide issues, including how long the disruption from these issues could last.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
In a statement sent out Friday morning, Kettering Health CEO Mike Gentry gave an update on the situation, which he referred to as “unscheduled downtime” for most of the network’s IT applications.
“While planned maintenance and updates are routine and occur on an ongoing basis, fortunately, an event of this type has been rare for Kettering Health. Our team members are diligently following downtime processes and procedures. Patient appointments where IT applications are a necessary part of care plans are being rescheduled,” Gentry’s statement read in part.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Police officer caught partying at festival while collecting $600K for fake injury, officials say
- Founding member of popular Dayton band feared dead in California plane crash
- 4 inmates escape minimum security facility in Ohio, deputies say
He went on to say that the duration of the cyberattack could range from 10 to 20 days.
Kettering Health’s emergency departments, hospitals, and clinics remain open. As previously reported, procedures are being evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association (GDAHA) previously told News Center 7 that other area hospitals are seeing an increase in their number of patients due to the limitations the attack has put on Kettering Health.
GDAHA said the increases are manageable, but patients may see higher wait times.
On Friday, Gentry thanked area hospitals and EMS services for their assistance during this cyberattack.
“We want to publicly express our appreciation to the network of Greater Dayton and northern Cincinnati hospitals and health systems, particularly Dayton Children’s and Premier Health as they have partnered with us to care for the community during this time,” Gentry said in a statement. “Additionally, this week, we want to specifically thank our EMS and police as this is their designated week of recognition.”
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2025 Cox Media Group
