Sen. Jon Ossoff working to protect rural hospitals across Georgia from cybersecurity threats

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WRBL) — While the climate of cyber security incidents remain at an all-time high in the nation, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff is taking the approach to protect rural hospitals across Georgia from cybersecurity threats.

Ossoff issued a press release on Wednesday and detailed his plan to protect rural hospitals in the state by working with Republicans and Democrats.

The senator is cosponsoring the bipartisan Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act that will create a new strategy and provide proper training resources to boost the amount of cybersecurity professionals in rural hospitals across Georgia.

Back in 2022, Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital in Columbus was a victim of a cyber attack, which launched an investigation into if any sensitive data was compromised or leaked.

Other counties and cities where hospitals became victims of cybersecurity attacks, include Houston County, Decatur County, Pulaski County, Savannah, Cordele, and Tifton, according to Ossoff’s office.

RELATED: Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital has come under cyber attack

At one point, several hospitals in the state were also forced to delay care when a blood donation nonprofit was targeted in a ransomware attack.

Ossoff also says that rural hospitals in the state and across America are facing “unique challenges,” in protecting critical information without the same level of resources as larger hospitals.

“Rural hospitals across Georgia face an enormous range of challenges, and ransomware and cybersecurity threats are top of mind for these often less well-resourced institutions,” Ossoff said.

Last year, Ossoff introduced the Federal Cyber Workforce Training Act of 2024 that assisted in strengthening Georgia’s cybersecurity workforce.