I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ George Washington
In recent years, it seems that one business after another has become the victim of a ransomware attack. You know the drill: hackers break into a company's data storage system and threaten to use the data to ruin the lives of innocent people who have done business with that company, unless of course the company agrees to pay the hackers a hefty "ransom." It's a ransomware attack. Healthcare entities are especially attractive to hackers because, let's face it, our hospitals and healthcare providers have just about every piece of meaningful data there is about us.
In early May, a large hospital system was the victim of such an attack. The system immediately took its I.T. network offline. Then it notified the FBI and other agencies. So far, so good. Then it did something that is apparently a bit unusual. It "prioritized...honest conversations with our associates, vendors, patients, and the communities we serve....Our focus has been to provide timely and accurate information to our patients and communities." One prominent consultant described it as the best example of transparency she'd seen in her career. Well, Hooray, I guess.
But isn't that what we ought to do in our daily lives? No, responding to a crime isn't something most of us deal with every day, but every day we DO have opportunities to choose honesty. To choose transparency. And to reject deceit and falsehood in our relationships, both personal and professional. Paul told the Ephesians that they must each "put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are ALL members of ONE body." Eph 4:25. When we don't, we hurt everyone.
It isn't always easy, but it's always right.
God bless you all,
NT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ George Washington
In recent years, it seems that one business after another has become the victim of a ransomware attack. You know the drill: hackers break into a company's data storage system and threaten to use the data to ruin the lives of innocent people who have done business with that company, unless of course the company agrees to pay the hackers a hefty "ransom." It's a ransomware attack. Healthcare entities are especially attractive to hackers because, let's face it, our hospitals and healthcare providers have just about every piece of meaningful data there is about us.
In early May, a large hospital system was the victim of such an attack. The system immediately took its I.T. network offline. Then it notified the FBI and other agencies. So far, so good. Then it did something that is apparently a bit unusual. It "prioritized...honest conversations with our associates, vendors, patients, and the communities we serve....Our focus has been to provide timely and accurate information to our patients and communities." One prominent consultant described it as the best example of transparency she'd seen in her career. Well, Hooray, I guess.
But isn't that what we ought to do in our daily lives? No, responding to a crime isn't something most of us deal with every day, but every day we DO have opportunities to choose honesty. To choose transparency. And to reject deceit and falsehood in our relationships, both personal and professional. Paul told the Ephesians that they must each "put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are ALL members of ONE body." Eph 4:25. When we don't, we hurt everyone.
It isn't always easy, but it's always right.
God bless you all,
NT
