Methodist Homes of Alabama & Northwest Florida
Substitute Notice
Date: October 3, 2025
We are writing to inform you of a data security incident experienced by our organization, Methodist Homes of Alabama & Northwest Florida (Methodist Homes), that may have involved your information as described below. We were unable to locate all the addresses of the individuals whose data may have been involved. As a result, we are posting this notice to inform all individuals whose data potentially was involved. This notice provides information about the incident and steps you can take for added protection to your information.
What Happened
On October 14, 2024, we discovered suspicious activity in our network. Upon discovery, we took immediate action to secure our systems and we engaged independent cybersecurity specialists to investigate the incident. As part of the investigation, we learned that certain data may have been accessed or acquired by an unauthorized actor between October 2, 2024 and October 14, 2024. As a result, we underwent a comprehensive data review process to determine what information was involved and to whom that information belonged. On September 2, 2025, we identified individuals whose personal information and/or personal health information was included in the data set involved. Soon after, we determined that we lacked contact information for some individuals, which necessitated this public notice.
What Information Was Involved
The types of information that may have been contained within the impacted data varies by individual. For residents and patients, protected health information involved first and last name, Social Security number, driver license or state ID number, health insurance numbers, and clinical information, including medical record number (MRN), medical history, diagnosis and treatment, patient numbers, Medicaid/Medicaid numbers, dates of discharge, and date of birth.
For those individuals who were not patients or residents, personal information involved first and last name, in combination with one or more of the following data element(s): Social Security number, driver license or state ID, health insurance numbers, and medical history information.
What We Are Doing
We are taking this incident seriously and have implemented additional measures to prevent future occurrences. Upon learning of the incident, we took immediate steps to address it, including securing our systems and taking some of the network offline. We have reported the incident to law enforcement, state regulatory authorities, and the Department of Health and Human Services with the Office for Civil Rights. Additionally, we are offering complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services, free of charge, to those whose Social Security numbers were involved through CyberScout, a TransUnion company.
If you believe may have been involved in this incident and have not received a notification from us, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated assistance line through TransUnion at 1-833-833-7220 between the hours of 8:00 am and 8:00 pm EST to confirm eligibility and receive a credit monitoring code. If you have any questions regarding the incident, please do not hesitate to contact us.
What You Can Do
One may remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your credit reports and account statements for suspicious activity and to detect errors. If you discover any suspicious or unusual activity on your accounts, please promptly contact the financial institution or company.
For More Information
If you have any questions regarding the incident, please do not hesitate to contact our dedicated support team at 1-833-833-7220. We stay committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of your personal information and are thankful for your continued support.
Methodist Homes of Alabama & Northwest Florida
Enclosure: Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
Monitor Your Accounts and Credit Reports: It is good practice to remain vigilant of incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your credit reports/account statements and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Under U.S. law, you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228. Once you receive your credit report, review it for discrepancies and identify any accounts you did not open or inquiries from creditors that you did not authorize. If you have questions or notice incorrect information, contact the credit reporting bureau.
Fraud Alert Services: You have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a one-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three credit reporting bureaus listed below.
Credit Freeze Instructions: As an alternative to a fraud alert, you have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without your express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit.
Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a credit freeze, you should provide the following information:
Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., III, etc.);
Social Security number;
Date of birth;
Address for the prior two to five years;
Proof of current address, such as a current utility or telephone bill;
A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (e.g., state driver’s license or identification card); and
A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft, if you are a victim of identity theft.
Should you wish to place a fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
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TransUnion 1- 800-916-8800 www.transunion.com TransUnion Fraud Alert P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016-2000 TransUnion Credit Freeze P.O. Box 160 Woodlyn, PA 19094 |
Experian 1-888-397-3742 Experian Fraud Alert P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 Experian Credit Freeze P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 |
Equifax 1-888-378-4329 www.equifax.com Equifax Fraud Alert P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Equifax Credit Freeze P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 |
Additional Information: You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the credit reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or your state Attorney General. The FTC also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them.
The FTC may be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261.
You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement, your state Attorney General, and the FTC. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.
For D.C. Residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at 400 6th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001; 202-727-3400, and https://oag.dc.gov/consumer-protection.
For Maryland Residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at Office of the Attorney General, 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-888-743-0023; or www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov.
For New Mexico Residents, you have rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs the collection and use of information pertaining to you by consumer reporting agencies. For more information about your rights under the FCRA, please visit https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf or www.ftc.gov.
For New York Residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov.
For North Carolina Residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.
For Rhode Island Residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be contacted at 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; and www.riag.ri.gov. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. There are no Rhode Island residents whose data was involved in this incident.
Methodist Homes of Alabama & Northwest Florida can be reached at 1520 Cooper Hill Road, Birmingham, AL 35210.