Former Excela nurse accused of stealing pain pills from patients
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A former nurse at Excela Health Westmoreland hospital in Greensburg was arrested this week by the state Attorney General’s office on accusations of stealing prescription painkillers from patients over a five-month period in 2020, according to court papers.
Joel M. Gazal, 34, of North Versailles, was arraigned on two counts of neglect of a dependent care person and single counts of illegal acquisition of controlled substance, illegal possession of a controlled substance and theft.
He was released on signature bond pending a July 22 preliminary hearing.
The charges are the result of a months-long internal investigation by the hospital “as a result of suspicious dispensing behavior and patterns, including dispensing narcotics at higher frequencies as his peers,” State Attorney General narcotics agent Megan Schuller said in court documents.
“During the course of the internal investigation, Gazal did write an admission in which he explained he had been substituting Tylenol for patients who had been prescribed Percocet and Vicodin because the tablets looked similar,” Schuller wrote.
Percocet and Vicodin are both opioid painkillers.
In his statement, Schuller said that Gazal said he would “study the way patients took their medications to determine if he would be successful in substituting their medications.”
During the investigation, it was determined that the diversions occurred between January and May 2020 “after it was determined that (Gazal) was no longer receiving prescriptions from his own physician.”
Schuller said in court papers that investigators were able to identify two patients who did not receive their prescribed medications from Gazal, who is specifically accused of diverting 80 pills for his personal use.
Gazal could not be reached for comment. His attorney, Samir Hadeed of Pittsburgh, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Excela communications officer Tom Chakurda said hospital officials had no comment on the arrest.