The Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Development Disabilities has notified patients that a laptop that potentially contains their protected health information was stolen from an employee's car, according to The Newnan Times-Herald.
Information for patients who receive state-level help for mental disabilities are at risk of a data breach, although initial investigations indicate the potentially compromised information has not been accessed, according to the report.
Investigators currently have no leads in discovering who stole the laptop, and the Clayton County Police has closed the case.
Chris Bailey, communications director for the department, said in the report department officials can not say for sure whether patients' information was on the laptop, but "chances are [it] could have been" in the files, according to the report.
Mr. Bailey also said the computer is configured so if it accesses the Internet, its files would automatically be erased and it would send a signal to the agency. No signal has yet been received, according to the report.
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