Nurse charged with taking Bartlett patients’ pills

A licensed practical nurse faces charges that she took painkillers prescribed for patients at a Bartlett retirement facility.

Cook County prosecutors say that Delores Gigliello took 690 pills over a nine-month period while working at Clare Oaks, a retirement community and assisted living facility.

Police charged the 58-year-old Streamwood woman with possession of a controlled substance, a class 4 felony punishable by one to three years in prison. Probation is also an option.

A Cook County judge set bail at $10,000 Friday for Gigliello, who has no criminal background. She must post 10 percent to be released from custody.

Instead of dispensing hydrocodone pills (also known as Norco) to patients, Gigliello kept them for her own use, said Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Jennifer Walsh at Gigliello’s bail hearing Friday. It was unclear whether Gigliello took pills from just one patient or several, Walsh said.

Clare Oaks personnel noticed the missing pills after reviewing patient charts, Walsh said. There is no evidence of Gigliello’s actions having any impact on patients’ health and no reports of any patients suffering any setbacks, Walsh said.

Gigliello has a prescription for Vicodin, her attorney said.

Clare Oaks executive director Bill Keane said he could not comment on Gigliello’s employment status. However, Keane did confirm that no resident “was at any risk of harm” as a result of the missing pills.

Gigliello next appears in court on Sept. 30.