Mississippi hospital system closes all clinics after ransomware attack
[February 21, 2026]
By SOPHIE BATES
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A ransomware attack forced the University of
Mississippi Medical Center to close all of its roughly three dozen
clinics around the state and cancel elective procedures for a second day
on Friday, hobbling one of the state's largest health care providers.
University officials warned that the shutdown could continue for days as
they try to evaluate the extent of the attack, including whether
patients' sensitive information was compromised, and restore network
systems they took down as a precaution.
Richard Bell, 55, drove three hours from his home in Oxford the medical
center’s main campus in Jackson on Friday only to learn that he wouldn't
be able to get his bloodwork or chemotherapy treatment.
“It was all shut down,” Bell said. “It gets pretty frustrating.”
Bell, who has a form of lymphoma, wasn't immediately able to reschedule
the appointment. University officials said in a statement on Friday they
were reaching out to patients who require time-sensitive treatments such
as chemotherapy.
Hospitals and emergency rooms remained open, and patients there were
receiving proper care, the university said in the statement. Officials
were still trying to figure out the extent of the infiltration, but Vice
Chancellor LouAnn Woodward said at a news conference Thursday the attack
affected “many systems,” including the electronic health record
platform. Health care providers were taking down information manually.
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The University of Mississippi Medical Center stands in Jackson,
Miss., on May 2, 2018. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
 “Some of us in the room have been
here long enough that we remember taking care of patients with pen
and paper,” she said.
Investigators are trying to determine whether patients' private
information was accessed, Woodward said.
She said the attackers had communicated with the university, but she
did not disclose their demands. The university is working with the
FBI.
The FBI's top priority is getting systems back up to restore patient
care, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff said at Thursday's
news conference. The agency's Jackson office said Friday that it
couldn't comment further.
Ransomware attacks against public schools and agencies have
proliferated in recent years. They have shutdown 911 dispatch
functions and exposed sensitive student data, among other harms.
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