Stroger nurse high on duty, took IV equipment, report says

CHICAGO (AP) - A former emergency room nurse at Stroger Hospital in Chicago was high on marijuana during at least one shift and took equipment and IV solution from the hospital, according to an investigative report.

Cook County Independent Inspector General Patrick Blanchard suggested in his report released last week that the woman be fired and made ineligible for hire elsewhere. A spokeswoman for the hospital said the nurse was dismissed.

Blanchard found that the woman, on an unspecified date, sent a social media photo showing a gummy square in her hand, which she identified as cannabis, to someone who later reported her. The nurse indicated that she was 'œtingling all over'ť but boasted that she was 'œgetting my IVs on first stick.'ť

The nurse, who was not identified, refused to be interviewed for the investigation, the report said.

The report said that the person who complained said she lived with her daughter in a house the nurse owns and that the nurse on several occasions gave them and the daughter's fiance IV flushes, some of which were videotaped. She offered to add morphine to the IV, which she said she took from the hospital.

A statement from Stroger read: 'œCook County Health works diligently to create a healing environment that is the safest for our patients. We take any allegations seriously and have many safeguards in place to thoroughly investigate matters.'ť