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Officials with the California Department of Public Health are continuing an investigation into a data breach that occurred this spring involving the personal information of several thousand current and former employees.
An agency investigation found that the personal and workers’ compensation information of approximately 9,000 current and former state employees was improperly copied to a private hard drive and removed from state offices, according to a statement first issued late last month by California Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ron Chapman.
Chapman said the agency regretted that the information was compromised, adding, “We take the breach of any secure documents very seriously and are committed to taking steps to minimize any impact of this action and further strengthen our security policy.”
Impacted are most current California Department of Public Health and California Department of Health Care Services employees, along with nearly 3,000 employees of the former Department of Health Services, according to the agency's report.
The personal information at issue included individual names and addresses, varying combinations of Social Security numbers, ethnicity, birth dates, next of kin and the addresses of those individuals listed as next of kin, and/or information from workers’ compensation documents, according to an agency report.
“The investigation continues,” said California Department of Public Health spokesman Al Lundeen.
Lundeen told Lake County News that the data breach occurred when an employee, who had access to the information, copied it and took it home in violation of agency rules.
On April 5 the Department of Public Health was alerted to the activity, which was discovered by the department’s security detection system. The agency reported that it immediately initiated an investigation and discovered the information's unauthorized removal before placing the employee on administrative leave while the investigation takes place.
Lundeen said the investigation has uncovered no evidence whatsoever that the information was disclosed or misused.
He said the agency has offered credit monitoring services to anyone impacted by the breach.
“Several hundred people have already requested that,” he said.
Also under way are new internal safeguards to protect employee information and a thorough review of information security policies. The Department of Public Health said it will put in place any additional necessary policies or practices to help prevent such an incident from happening again.
Last year, the Department of Public Health had another data breach issue which Lundeen said involved a few thousand individuals.
Lundeen said that incident involved a magnetic tape from a field office that was shipped to the department's headquarters. The tape – which included information about patients in longterm care facilities, employees and some medical personnel – was supposed to be encrypted and sent by a secure carrier but wasn't.
He said there now are policies in place to stop such issues.
There's also an effort to back up such material remotely so there is no need for shipping it. “We haven't resolved that issue technically,” he said.
Health data breaches are a nationwide issue and, as a result, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is required by law to post a list of breaches of unsecured, protected health information affecting 500 or more individuals.
In April 2010, the California Department of Health Care Services had a data breach affecting approximately 29,808 people in the Care 1st Health Plan, according to the Health and Human Services secretary's database. That issue involved the loss of a portable electronic device.
The Health and Human Services secretary's database records 292 incidents involving the compromising or loss of data between September 2009 and May 2011.
Information was compromised in a variety of ways, from hacking of networks and unauthorized access to materials, to theft of paper, hard drives or other portable devices such as laptop computers.
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The Bass Bowl Committee has announced a cooperative effort with the California Historical Artillery Society (CHAS) to bring Civil War living history to Lake County the week of the Bass Bowl.
“We wanted to have a Civil War cannon at the Bass Bowl to commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War and of the founding of Lake County,” Bass Bowl Executive Director Phil Smoley explained.
“They needed additional event staff at their upcoming Civil War Reenactment in Duncans Mills,” Smoley said. “So we negotiated a ‘win-win’ deal where they will be getting extra staff help from Lake County for their ‘Civil War Days’ and they will bring a artillery team for the Bass Bowl to fire after each touchdown, and then do living history demonstrations the next day.”
On July 16 and 17the quaint North Coast town of Duncans Mills will become the fields of Virginia, circa 1863.
“Civil War Days” is one of the largest reenactments west of the Mississippi. The event will give visitors the opportunity to interact with the soldiers and civilians of the Civil War and witness the camps of the Union and Confederacy.
Visitors will see how civilians lived and served with the armies of 1863, in what was referred to as the first “modern war.” The event will serve both as an educational experience and an unforgettable trip back into history.
The Bass Bowl Committee committed to providing 30 “man days,” or an average of 10 workers for each of the three days the CHAS needs help.
“Friday, the 15th, is the set up day, and then the next two days will be the actual event,” according to Bass Bowl President Rob Ishihara. “They need staff to help with setting up, parking, collecting entrance fees, hauling off garbage, bringing hay and water to the horses, and other needs. There will be plenty of time for event staff to enjoy the event and watch the battles. It’s light work, and it will be rewarding, educational, and it will be helping with Lake County athletics. We need volunteers to fulfill our part of the bargain.”
Besides historical reenactments, the CHAS is involved with horse rescue.
They use Standardbred trotters rescued from California's tracks and retrains them as artillery horses. These horses now live on a lush 40-acre ranch in the Salinas Valley. They presently use more than 30 horses that were destined for an unpleasant demise.
These ex-trotter race horses are used exclusively by CHAS and given a second chance at life in the service of the "Army." Horse enthusiasts can help support them by "sponsoring" a favorite horse and contributing toward its care.
In addition to bringing Civil War history to Lake County, the Bass Bowl is planning a series of events leading up the big rivalry game between the Clear Lake High Cardinals and the Kelseyville High Knights.
Events include a bass tournament, a Miss Bass Bowl Beauty Pageant, a Kiss My Bass fundraiser and a Bass Bowling event at Lakeside Lanes.
The half time of the Bass Bowl will have a bowl-like half time extravaganza not seen before in Lake County. Net proceeds of these events are to be split between the two schools' athletic departments.
“Funding for local sports programs is nearly nonexistent,” according to Bass Bowl Commissioner Boone Bridges. “Without strong local support, they will go away, and that would be a disaster. These events will go a long way to keep these schools athletic programs going.”
The “Civil War Days” event is just minutes from the ocean, along the Russian River. “The location is beautifully forested, with lots of hiking trails,” Smoley said. “We can use all the help we can get. It is the perfect opportunity for a family to volunteer to help while learning about history.”
Volunteers and event staff will be camping next to the event grounds. To volunteer to assist in this event, contact Phil Smoley at 707-264-4905 or by email at
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The National Weather Service is expecting temperatures to be in the high 90s this week, following a warm Independence Day weekend.
While the weekend's hot temperatures beckoned some people outdoors to enjoy time on the water, others experienced health issues as a result.
Northshore Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Steve Hart said paramedics reacted to numerous heat-related medical calls over the holiday weekend because of the higher temperatures.
The National Weather Service said monsoonal moisture is expected to work its way from the Sierra Nevadas through the interior of California late Tuesday through Wednesday, bringing the possibility of thunderstorms and higher humidity.
Because of the chances for higher humidity, forecasters urge anyone who is working or engaged in recreational activities to avoid prolonged sun exposure during the hottest hours of the day.
Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health, issued guidelines for avoiding health sickness, including reducing exposure to the sun from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest, and keeping physical activities to a minimum during that time. When working outside, drink plenty of water or juice even if you are not thirsty, and take rest breaks in the shade.
Those spending time outside also should wear hats to help cover the face and neck, along with sunglasses the provide 100 percent UVA and UVB protection, as chronic exposure to the sun can cause cataracts, which left untreated, can lead to blindness. Use sunscreen of an SPF rating of 15 or more.
Because of the high temperatures inside cars, don't leave children, infants, the frail elderly or pets inside parked vehicles, as temperatures can climb to deadly levels, state officials said.
The California Emergency Management Agency has a list of summer heat resources at www.calema.ca.gov/NewsandMedia/Pages/Current%20News%20and%20Events/Summer-Heat-Resources.aspx.
For pets, which also are at risk during the hot summer months, the ASPCA's Web site at www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/hot-weather-tips.aspx offers tips for keeping pets safe from high temperatures.
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The “Start Smart” program will be offered in July, August and September, according to Officer Kory Reynolds of the Clear Lake CHP office.
Traffic collisions are the No. 1 killer of teenagers in America. Nationally about 5,000 teens will die in automobile crashes.
About 10 percent of those deaths are in California alone. In California in 2007, there were 82,506 collisions involving teenage drivers statewide, 457 resulted in fatalities, according to the CHP.
The Clear Lake Area California Highway Patrol office will offer several, free, Start Smart traffic safety classes for teenage drivers and their parents.
The program aims to help future and newly-licensed teenage drivers learn the responsibilities that accompany the privilege of being a licensed driver.
It is an educational tool for parents and teens to reduce the number of teen injuries and deaths resulting from traffic collisions.
The program provides information on defensive driving, state traffic laws, dynamics of traffic collisions, tips on avoiding collisions and awareness of the dangers of driving under the influence.
The classes will run approximately two hours and will be offered on Monday, July 18; Monday, Aug. 15; and Monday, Sept. 12.
Classes will start at 6:30 p.m. at the CHP office in Kelseyville, located at 5700 Live Oak Drive, Kelseyville.
Space is limited for this class. For more information or reservations, call Reynolds, 707-279-0103.
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After the Air Force stopped using UC-123K Provider aircraft to spray herbicide on the jungles of Vietnam, some of those aircraft, their spray tanks removed, were reassigned in 1972 to new missions at three stateside bases.
For the next decade Air Force reservists flew and maintained them. Last month one of the post-war crewmen, disabled retiree Maj. Wesley T. Carter, 64, of McMinnville, Ore., had a heart attack requiring surgery, and also learned that he has prostate cancer.
A medical service officer, Carter said he thought about the many hours he had served aboard foul-smelling C-123 “spray birds” after the war, flying out of Westover Air Force Base, Mass. So in recent weeks he conducted online searches, looking for any report of lingering Agent Orange contamination on these planes assigned Reserve missions until 1982.
What Carter found alarmed him, enough he told me, that he began to contact crewmen from his squadron. The first five he reached had prostate cancer, Carter said. He heard of others who had died, most of them from more diseases that Department of Veterans Affairs presumes, at least for veterans of Vietnam, were caused by Agent Orange exposure.
“I know it’s just anecdotal,” Carter said last Friday, “but today I learned that our wing commander, Brig. Gen. Mike Walker, our vice commander, Col. Lou Paskowitz, and our hospital commander, Col. (Dr.) Warner Jones, all died of prostate cancer.”
Carter started a blog, www.c123kcancer.blogspot.com, with links to reports and memos referencing dioxin contamination aboard C-123s flown by reservists after the war from Westover, Pittsburgh (Pa.) Air Reserve Base and Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Ohio.
One of the first disturbing documents found, Carter said, deals with a famous C-123, nicknamed “Patches” during the war because it was hit so often by enemy fire during spraying runs. Patches was one of three C-123s, among 16 aircraft of the 731st Tactical Airlift Squadron, known to crewmen as having sprayed herbicide during the war.
Carter found a report from 1994 showing that before Patches was put on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, an analysis for toxins found that it was “heavily contaminated with PCDD,” or polychlorinated dibenzodioxin, a human carcinogen.
So work crews that prepared Patches for display had to wear hazardous material suits and respirators, and the public would not be allowed to touch it. Yet Carter and crewmates had flown it often. He remembered its strong smell, like the inside of one Halloween mask he had worn as a kid.
By filing an IG complaint, Carter wants the Air Force to explain why, after learning C-123s flown by reservists were toxic, the service did not warn former crewmen of their exposure and possible health risks.
Retired Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. John O. Harris of Mashpee, Mass., flew 2700 hours as a C-123 command pilot for the 731st, from 1973 to 1981. Almost 400 of those hours were in Patches or in one of the other squadron aircraft that had sprayed in Vietnam. Harris, 67, has diabetes and peripheral neuropathy, both conditions on VA’s list of 14 AO presumptive diseases.
“We knew it was there,” Harris said of residual herbicide on some C-123 aircraft. “You could smell it on a hot day, or a cold day when the heaters were running. You could smell it so bad you couldn’t stand it.”
Harris said he often flew with cockpit windows open. He compares the smell to wasp or roach spray.
Vietnam vets in the squadron identified it as Agent Orange, Harris said. But no one back then understood the dangers of compounds used in the war to defoliant jungles and kill crops.
Neither Harris nor Carter served in Vietnam. Both men now believe reservists who flew or maintained these aircraft should be treated like Vietnam veterans with regard Agent Orange-related presumptive diseases for when filing VA compensation claims or seeking survivor benefits.
Several years ago Harris did file a claim for his diabetes, citing post-war exposure to Agent Orange on his missions with the 731st. He provided flight logs listing hours aboard “spray bird” aircraft. Both his claim and his appeal were denied, Harris said, because he had not served in Vietnam.
Harris later remembered that, while flying F-4 Phantoms out of Thailand during the war, he had a two-hour refueling stop at Da Nang. He even recalled the guy he chatted with at the airfield that day. After finding him and supplying VA with his statement, Harris qualified for disability pay.
“Two hours on the ground with no Agent Orange in sight trumped 11 years and 400 hours of definitive exposure flying spray UC-123s,” he said. Harris figures he caught a break and others haven’t. So he has joined Carter’s quest to find more colleagues and notifying of them of toxin exposure. They want to help those with AO-related ailments get VA care and compensation, and for spouses of colleagues who have died from these conditions get VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation.
Besides the memo showing Patches was toxic, Carter learned the government in 1996 stopped a contract to sell some of these C-123s because of contamination. Another report indicates Air Force struggled over how to dispose of these aircraft, worried that even burying them could contaminate the ground. Some officials told Carter that last year the service tore apart and melted down remaining C-123 aircraft.
Asked to comment on this, on Carter’s complaint and his blog, an Air Force spokesman, Jonathan Stock, said the service “is going to look into these claims” but can’t make any immediate comment. Also, VA Press Secretary Josh Taylor said VA will “carefully review this matter.”
Marshall Hanson with Reserve Officers Association added, “This cadre of Agent Orange casualties needs to be recognized for the contamination risks they have been exposed to, similar to crews that initially flew the same C-123 aircraft. Agent Orange presumption needs to be reexamined to include all those who were exposed outside the Vietnam territories, both in the Air Force and the Navy.”
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