DIDSBURY - An investigation by Alberta Health Services (AHS) legal and privacy office is underway after financial records and patient records were recently found by Fargo TV series production crew members in an unused part of the Didsbury hospital, say officials.
“AHS is investigating a potential privacy breach after a secure storage room containing financial records and some old patient records was found to be open in a decommissioned wing of the hospital,” James Wood, Director of Issues Management and Media Relations with AHS, said in a statement provided to the Albertan on Thursday.
Filming of the new Fargo season by S5 Productions Calgary Inc. took place at the old Unit 4 building of the Didsbury hospital on Monday, Feb. 13. Filming of various scenes for various seasons of the TV series have taken place in Didsbury over the years, including at the hospital.
The documents were found in several boxes in a storage room that had been left unlocked.
The room was being used to store numerous boxes of documents as part of planned renovations at the site, he said.
The documents in question were discovered by film production crew members preparing for the shooting of an upcoming Fargo season.
“This is not the same building where a film production crew has been working, but in an adjacent structure,” he said. “These documents were boxed and ready for confidential disposal by an information management company.
“In accordance with standard practice, an investigation has been initiated by the legal and privacy office to determine whether there was been a privacy breach.”
Wood said the documents involved have been moved to a secure location.
Asked if he could provide a timeline when the AHS investigation may be concluded, he said no.
Based on the film of the same name, the Fargo TV series is now in production for its fifth season.
Fargo crew and cast began amassing at the Didsbury Memorial Complex beginning Feb. 11, parking trailers and other vehicles.
“We anticipate minimal traffic interruptions, but residents may encounter intermittent traffic control along 20th Avenue and 14th Street for outdoor shots throughout the day,” officials said at the time.
