Community Medical Center in Falls City shuts down network after cyberattack; critical patients diverted

Community Medical Center in Falls City, Nebraska, a 24-bed critical access hospital, shut down and locked down its computer network after unauthorized access over the weekend damaged parts of the network, its chief executive Ryan Larsen told MSC News in a report published October 19, 2026. Difficulty sending diagnostic images to radiologists forced ambulances to divert critical patients elsewhere. Staff switched to paper, some appointments were canceled, delayed or rescheduled, and the emergency room remained open. Replacement computers were being shipped in and an entirely new network was being deployed, with Bryan Health in Lincoln helping provide computers. Larsen expected slower service through much of this week, and no full restoration date has been announced. Preliminary findings indicated patient information was unaffected, with outside specialists still to verify that assessment, and Becker's Hospital Review reported that the intrusion appears to have reached some business files. The MSC News report identified Qilin as the group involved; that attribution has not been independently established.

Sourcing limitation, stated openly: this item rests on a single reporting chain, the MSC News report based on Mr. Larsen's account, as carried by DysruptionHub and Becker's Hospital Review on October 20, 2026. Both outlets derive from that same MSC News report, so there is no fully independent second source yet. This item will be updated when independent confirmation or denial appears.

Sources: DysruptionHub; Becker's Hospital Review