Today, the University of New Mexico (UNM) Health System announced that it was experiencing a cybersecurity issue. According to its October 26 statement, ambulances were being diverted to other hospitals, clinic appointments were canceled, and patients were instructed not to come to UNM Health facilities that day.
This is a reminder that disasters do not always arrive as hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, or mass casualty incidents. Sometimes, they arrive through a computer screen.
I had the opportunity to work at UNM Hospital during my nursing career, so seeing this announcement caught my attention. I know firsthand the importance of the care provided within those walls and the role that hospital plays in serving its community.
When we discuss disaster preparedness in healthcare, cybersecurity is not always the first thing that comes to mind. Yet our healthcare systems depend on technology for nearly everything, from electronic health records and medication administration to laboratory results, diagnostic imaging, communications, and patient transfers.
When those systems are disrupted, the consequences extend far beyond the computers themselves.
Ambulance diversions place additional demands on neighboring hospitals. Canceled appointments delay access to care. Healthcare workers may suddenly find themselves relying on downtime procedures, paper documentation, and alternative communication methods.
And patients? They are often the ones left navigating the uncertainty.
This is why healthcare cybersecurity must be treated as a disaster preparedness issue, not simply an information technology problem.
A cybersecurity incident does not necessarily mean a cyberattack has occurred, and the cause of UNM Health’s disruption has not been established in the announcement, but regardless of the cause, the operational consequences deserve our attention.
Hospitals must be prepared to maintain essential services when technology becomes unavailable. That means regularly exercising downtime procedures, ensuring staff know how to access critical information, establishing communication plans, and coordinating with emergency medical services and regional healthcare partners.
It also means remembering something I frequently emphasize when discussing preparedness:
Having a plan does not mean we are prepared to execute it.
A downtime policy sitting in a binder is not enough. Staff must know where to find it, understand their responsibilities, and have opportunities to practice before an actual disruption occurs.
As someone who has spent much of my career in emergency nursing and disaster response, I see incidents like this as important reminders of how interconnected our healthcare systems really are.
When one hospital experiences a significant disruption, the effects can quickly extend throughout an entire healthcare community.
My thoughts are with my former colleagues at UNM Hospital, the healthcare professionals working to maintain patient care, and the patients and families affected by today’s disruption.
Disaster preparedness is not just about responding when something happens. It is about building systems that can continue caring for people when the unexpected occurs, because at the end of the day, technology may fail, but our responsibility to patients does not disappear.
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Source: University of New Mexico Hospital, public statement, October 26, 2026. Ambulance Traffic Diverted, Clinical Appointments Cancelled and Classes Cancelled Due to Cybersecurity Issue at UNM HSC | UNM HSC Newsroom