June 29, 2021
Patient privacy is important to Lawrence County Family Clinic. This notice addresses a recent incident that may have impacted a relatively small number of records of deceased patients.
As you may remember, Walnut Ridge was hit by severe storms on May 4, 2021, with reported winds of nearly 100 miles per hour. A storage building on our property which contained records for deceased patients was damaged by the storm. As a result of the damage, some records were blown out of the building. Upon discovering this situation the morning of the storm, we immediately recovered and secured records that were located in the direct vicinity. We also began an investigation to determine whether any patients could be identified whose records were impacted by the storm in the event their records were not immediately recoverable.
Our work continues on reconstructing the recovered medical record sets, and, to date, we have been unable to confirm that we were able to immediately recover all of the records which were affected by the storm. Although we have been unable to identify specific patients whose records may not have been recovered, based on our investigation, the records contained in the building likely were limited to those patients who have been deceased for at least ten years. Accordingly, as of the date of this notice, we have been unable to confirm whether we have contact information of the next of kin or personal representatives of any deceased individuals whose records may not have been recovered.
Again, we take our patients’ privacy seriously, and we regret any concern this incident may cause. If you have any questions or for additional information, you can contact Karen Fowler by phone at (870) 886-3543 or by writing 1210 West Main St., Walnut Ridge, AR 72476.
