Sen. Jon Ossoff

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U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is working with Republicans and Democrats to protect rural hospitals across Georgia from cybersecurity threats.

Sen. Ossoff is cosponsoring the bipartisan Rural Hospital Cybersecurity Enhancement Act to create new strategy and training resources to boost the number of cybersecurity and digital security professionals in rural hospitals across Georgia and nationwide.

The bipartisan bill would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a rural hospital cybersecurity workforce development strategy and produce and distribute instructional materials for rural hospitals that can be used to train staff on fundamental cybersecurity efforts.

The bill was first introduced by Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).

“Rural hospitals across Georgia face an enormous range of challenges, and ransomware and cybersecurity threats are top of mind for these often less well-resourced institutions,” Sen. Ossoff said.

There have been several cybersecurity attacks against hospitals across Georgia in recent years, including in Houston County, Decatur County, Pulaski County, Columbus, Savannah, Cordele, and Tifton.

In addition, several hospitals across the state were forced to delay care when a blood donation nonprofit became the target of a ransomware attack.

Rural hospitals in Georgia and across the country face unique challenges protecting critical information technology systems without the same level of resources as larger hospitals. Rising cyber threats, including ransomware attacks, place rural hospitals and their patients in a vulnerable position.

Sen. Ossoff continues to work to address the rising threat of cybersecurity threats and guarantee the safety of all Georgians.

Last year, Sen. Ossoff introduced the Federal Cyber Workforce Training Act of 2024 to strengthen Georgia’s cybersecurity workforce.

Sen. Ossoff also delivered Federal resources for cybersecurity job training programs at Clark Atlanta University. In 2022, Sen. Ossoff and Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04)’s bipartisan Cybersecurity Opportunity Act became law.