HHS- ONC/ASPR* – Awards Cooperative Agreement to H-ISAC

Expands Cyber Resiliency to Public and Private Healthcare Community, By Leveraging H-ISAC’s Existing Capabilities and Sharing Community.

Kennedy Space Center, FL, October 4, 2016 – The Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center, (H-ISAC), a member-owned non-profit that is the health and public health sector’s trusted community for sharing cyber and physical security information, has been awarded cooperative agreements from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) totaling $350,000. These agreements are intended to strengthen the ability of health care and public health sector partners (HPH) to understand and respond to cybersecurity threats.
The funding will allow H-ISAC to scale resources and personnel to broaden its reach within HPH sector and enhance the cyber information sharing ecosystem through increased mentoring and education.
“We are very pleased to receive the recognition of our community and we are excited to be working towards increasing cyber situational awareness within the sector”, says Denise Anderson, President, H-ISAC, “With the advance of technology in healthcare and the rise of threats such a ransomware, it is a critical time within the HPH sector to ensure stakeholders develop best practices and incorporate basic cyber hygiene within their environments. We look forward to working with our partners in the sector to meet this great responsibility.”

By expanding the awareness and dissemination of information to HPH facilities, and in particular smaller organizations, the cyber resiliency of the entire HPH ecosphere will increase, the public trust will be upheld and the continuity and integrity of America’s Healthcare delivery will be maintained.

H-ISAC– The Health Information Sharing and Analysis Center (H-ISAC), the official healthcare information sharing and analysis center, offers non-profit and for-profit healthcare stakeholders, such as: independent hospitals, IDN “providers”, health insurance “payers”, pharmaceutical/biotech manufacturers, laboratory, diagnostic, medical device manufacturers, medical school and medical R&D organizations, a community and forum for sharing cyber and physical threat indicators, best practices and mitigation strategies. H-ISAC is a non-profit corporation funded and owned by its members. Membership is open to any healthcare stakeholder seeking protection of valuable Personal Health Information (PHI) and compliance with Federal HIPAA regulations and standards, driving the assurance of patient health and life safety and fostering continuity of operations. Joining the H-ISAC is one of the best actions health and public health services firms can take to ensure they partake in protecting the industry and its vital role in such a critical infrastructure.

To learn more about the H-ISAC or to become a member, please visit www.h-isac.org.

ASPR leads HHS in preparing the nation to respond to and recover from adverse health effects of emergencies, supporting communities’ ability to withstand adversity, strengthening health and response systems, and enhancing national health security.  To learn more about ASPR, visit the HHS public health and medical emergency website, phe.gov.

ONC is the principal federal entity charged with coordination of nationwide efforts to implement and use the most advanced health information technology and the electronic exchange of health information. To learn more about ONC, visit HealthIT.gov.

HHS is the principal federal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves.