Wilbarger General Hospital Data Breach Affects PHI and PII

Wilbarger General Hospital, a short-term, acute-care community hospital located in Vernon, Texas, recently experienced a data security incident that has so far affected 702 Texas residents.

On Oct. 20, 2025, the hospital discovered suspicious activity within its email environment. Action was taken to secure the system and independent computer forensic experts were engaged to investigate the matter.

The investigation revealed that an unauthorized actor gained access to an employee’s email account for a short period.

By Nov. 25, 2025, it was determined that protected health information (PHI) was present in the compromised account, which typically covers details such as medical diagnoses, treatment information, or other health-related data. In addition, PII such as names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, address, phone numbers, financial information such as account number and credit/ debit numbers, driver's licenses, and other government-issued ID numbers like passports.

The hospital has posted a notice of data breach on its website and has notify impacted individuals by mail. Furthermore, the breach was disclosed to the Texas Attorney General.

Wilbarger General Hospital's response

In response to the breach, the hospital secured its email environment and engaged external cybersecurity specialists to analyze and strengthen its systems.

Actions taken include changing passwords and implementing multi-factor authentication for email accounts to prevent similar incidents in the future.

If you believe your personal information may have been compromised in this breach:

• Carefully review any notice or communication you receive from Wilbarger General Hospital or your provider.
• Monitor financial accounts and credit reports for signs of identity theft.
• Consider placing fraud alerts or credit freezes with the major credit bureaus.
• Be cautious of unsolicited emails or phone calls requesting personal information.

Impacted individuals may contact the dedicated call center at 1-833-919-9478, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. CT.