National

Nurse stole opioid pills from hospice patient in Pennsylvania to use herself, feds say

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty.
The 55-year-old pleaded guilty. Getty Images/iStockPhoto

A former nurse has been sentenced after pleading guilty to stealing opioid pills prescribed to a hospice patient in Pennsylvania, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced in a May 23 news release.

Dana Aldinger, 55, permanently gave up her nursing license in her plea deal after prosecutors said she stole and diverted Oxycodone pills.

A lawyer for Aldinger did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

The former nurse and administrator for a senior care facility in York diverted pills from a Medicare hospice patient during August 2019, the release said.

Aldinger took at least 15 Oxycodone pills “for her own personal use,” according to court documents.

Oxycodone is a strong painkiller and has a “high potential for causing addiction” in some people.

Aldinger was sentenced to one year of probation and a $525 fine for theft in connection to health care, prosecutors said.

York is about 26 miles south of Harrisburg.

Read Next
Read Next

This story was originally published May 23, 2022 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Nurse stole opioid pills from hospice patient in Pennsylvania to use herself, feds say."

Mariah Rush
mcclatchy-newsroom
Mariah Rush is a National Real-Time Reporter. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and has previously worked for The Chicago Tribune, The Tampa Bay Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER