Antigonish County District RCMP charged a woman under the Personal Health Information Act following an investigation into a complaint received in April.

On April 10, Antigonish County District RCMP responded to a complaint regarding a potential breach of the Personal Health Information Act at a local hospital over a period of about five months.

Consistent with the health authority’s internal investigation, the subsequent RCMP investigation, which was led by the Antigonish Street Crime Enforcement Unit, indicates that an admitting clerk at the hospital viewed 2,690 patient records between May 1 and October 4, 2023. The patient records were not pertinent to the clerk’s duties at the hospital.

The Antigonish County District RCMP has charged 30-year-old Sarah Emily Dewolfe of Antigonish with wilfully gaining or attempting to gain access to health information in contravention of the Personal Health Information Act.

The investigation is ongoing; however, there is no evidence at this time to indicate that Dewolfe disclosed the patient records.

Dewolfe is scheduled to appear in Antigonish Provincial Court on July 17 at 9:30 a.m.

Nova Scotia Health acknowledged a privacy breach at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital last month, indicating they were in the process of contacting 2,690 people by letter, informing them their health information had been inappropriately accessed by a former employee. All those contacted will hear directly from Nova Scotia Health and officials to discuss the details of the breaches with them