The unbelievable and the unfortunate

Today is October 1 and 2020 continues to get stranger by the week. It seems like every time you turn on the TV news or pick up a newspaper, something has happened that’s either unbelievable or unfortunate.

This next topic falls into the latter category. Earlier this week, we learned that the Antelope Valley Hospital Blood Donor Center closed after 36 years.

When we first heard the news, we thought maybe it was connected to the fact that the computers at Palmdale Regional Medical Center had been hacked.

Upon further investigation, we realized that they had nothing to do with one another.

Instead, the AV Hospital Blood Donor Center was closed because there’s been a nationwide decline in donor participation and staffing availability. In addition, the increasing change in blood donor testing requirements mean the donor center computer system needs to be upgraded to meet the Federal Drug Administration specifications.

On a positive note, no one lost their job as a result of the closure and blood donations will still go to AV Hospital, they’ll just utilize the Red Cross blood donor drives, instead.

This topic falls into the unbelievable and unfortunate categories. Also earlier this week, we learned that the Palmdale

Regional Medical Center’s computer system had fallen victim to ransomware.

As a result, some hospitals under Universal Health Services, Inc., the parent company of PRMC, were forced to switch to pen and paper for patient information documentation.

Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to a system’s data through a rapid encryption of critical files.

The attacker then demands a ransom, typically in the cryptocurrency bitcoin, to release a digital key to unlock it.

We hope they are able to sort out this issue quickly and get back to using their computer system. A statement from Universal Health Services, Inc., said no patient or employee data appears to have been accessed, copied or otherwise compromised.

Regardless, we also hope they do whatever needs to be done to ensure the safety and privacy of their patients in the future.

As we prepare to navigate the month of October, we can only hope that things get better for everyone.