LEWISTON — After experiencing a computer system outage for most of June, Central Maine Healthcare started notifying patients Thursday of a data breach detected June 1 leading to that outage.

“On June 1, 2025, Central Maine Healthcare detected unusual activity in its information technology (IT) network and immediately took steps to protect and secure its systems,” a news release issued by the health system Friday stated. “Central Maine Healthcare promptly launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity experts and notified law enforcement.”

Central Maine Healthcare is a hospital system located in central Maine that operates Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Bridgton Hospital in Bridgton and Rumford Hospital in Rumford.

An outside entity gained access to the health system’s IT network between March 19 and June 1, according to the news release. That access might have resulted in the outside entity accessing and acquiring files of patient information, such as names, birth dates, treatment information and diagnostic information.

While Central Maine’s computer systems were down for nearly a month in June, many patients reported barriers to reaching their providers and the hospital system’s pharmacies for needed imaging, procedures and medications for sensitive health conditions, such as heart ailments and diabetes.

The health system is the subject of several class action lawsuits in Androscoggin County Superior Court in Auburn because of the data breach.

The hospital system also announced to its staff Thursday that it will be laying off some staff. More details are expected to be released Friday.

Patients should review their statements from health care providers and their insurance companies and contact their provider or insurance company if they see any services they did not receive, according to Friday’s news release.

Central Maine is notifying patients who might have been impacted by the data breach. It is encouraging people to call 833-397-7918 with questions or if they think their information may have been taken. Additional information can be found at cmhc.org.

“Central Maine Healthcare takes this incident very seriously and sincerely regrets any concern this may cause,” the news release said. “To help prevent something like this from happening again, Central Maine Healthcare has implemented enhanced monitoring and alerting software to further protect and monitor its systems.”