FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              Connecticut Department of Public Health

December 14, 2010                                    Contact: William Gerrish

                                                                   (860) 509-7270

Hartford – The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced that during a system upgrade to appointment scheduling software for clients of a program administered by the Department of Public Health, information intended for regional offices was inadvertently sent to an undetermined number of email addresses in the state.  The Department of Public Health and Department of Information Technology are investigating the cause of the error.

The extent of the inadvertent release and the number of individuals affected is still being ascertained.  The information did not include Social Security numbers or addresses but did include the names of clients, their phone numbers and confirmation of appointments with regional offices.

The Department of Information Technology has implemented measures to prevent the further release of this information.  Remedies for affected individuals have not yet been determined.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is the state’s leader in public health policy and advocacy with a mission to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of our state.  To contact the department, please visit its website at www.ct.gov/dph or call (860) 509-7270.