What happened? Four Capital Health computers, including one containing the personal information of 20,000 patients, were stolen from a desk on May 8.

What types of personal information? The computer contained 20,000 patient names, health card numbers, addresses and reasons for hospital admittance.

What was the response? Capital Health waited three months to disclose the breach because it was confirming the addresses of all 20,000 patients.

The organization mailed the victims this week.

Police and the office of the information and privacy commissioner are investigating the incident.

Details: The laptops had two levels of password protection, but the data was not encrypted, according to spokesmen.

Quotes: “A theft like this happening today would produce virtually no sense of any breach,” said Capital Health spokesman Steve Buick.

Source: The Edmonton Sun, Aug. 3, “Stolen health computer stored 20,000 names”