Christus Health and Southwest Care Center Alert New Mexico Patients to Separate Data Security Incidents In January 2025, an unauthorized user accessed sensitive patient data through a breach at Oracle Health (formerly Cerner Corp.), a laboratory information software vendor used by Christus Health. The exposed information spanning records predating February 2025 includes names, Social Security numbers, lab orders, blood bank records, diagnoses, medications, and test results. While Christus Health’s systems remained unaffected, the organization is collaborating with Oracle to identify and notify impacted individuals. Separately, Southwest Care Center, which operates clinics in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, disclosed a June 2025 cybersecurity incident where an unauthorized party may have acquired patient data. The center has since strengthened its technical safeguards but has not found evidence of data misuse. However, affected patients have filed a class-action lawsuit in Santa Fe’s First Judicial District Court, alleging negligence in protecting their information and increased risks of identity theft. Both incidents reflect the growing threat of third-party vendor breaches in healthcare, a trend highlighted by the FBI’s 2024 cybercrime reports. Christus Health and Southwest Care Center are working with regulators to address the fallout, though litigation remains pending. The breaches underscore vulnerabilities in interconnected healthcare systems and the challenges providers face in securing patient data.