BOISE -- St. Luke's is notifying thousands of its employees that a computer tape containing their personal information is missing.
A letter sent to St. Luke's employees said the tape includes the names, addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers of employees who worked for St. Luke's in the Treasure Valley, Wood River Valley, and Mountain States Tumor Institute in Twin Falls. Those employees who were enrolled in the St. Luke's Health System Employee Health Care Plan in October, November, and December of 2006 and/or 2007 are potentially affected by the loss of the tape.
It was three to four years ago when the hospital partnered with a human resource consultant company called Mercer to do an analysis of St. Luke's health care plan.
Mercer notified St. Luke's that the computer back-up tape went missing as they transitioned into a new office recently.
Mercer has no reason to believe the tape has been or will be misused -- and St. Luke's spokesperson Ken Dey said it was a specialized data tape, and if someone were to find it, they would have a hard time accessing the information on it.
Regardless, St. Luke's wants its employees to be aware that their information is out there -- and to help, Mercer is offering identity theft services for those affected, free of charge.
Mercer issued this statement to the media Tuesday afternoon:
The Boise office of Mercer discovered that a back-up tape being sent from Boise to another site was lost in transit. This tape appears to have included personal information for certain individuals whose current or former employers retained Mercer to provide employee benefit and related insurance services.
There is no evidence that the tape or any of the information on it has been inappropriately accessed or misused in any way. In spite of an extensive search, the tape has not been recovered. We are providing individuals whose personal information may have been contained on the tape with free credit reporting services and, in the event needed, with free identity theft restoration services.
Mercer takes privacy and security measures very seriously. We deeply regret that this incident has occurred.
A spokesperson for Mercer in New York told KTVB late Tuesday afternoon that St. Luke's is not the only local business affected by the missing tape. However, the spokesperson said he is not at liberty to say which companies or how many.
