Over a dozen nurses were fired after a 12-year-old died by suicide at a Washington hospital.
The girl’s family alleges safety lapses, while the hospital cites patient privacy breaches for the dismissals.
More than a dozen nurses have been dismissed and another disciplined at a children’s hospital in Washington state following the death of a 12-year-old girl who died by suicide while under hospital care.
The incident occurred on April 13, when Sarah Niyimbona, a patient at Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane, left her room unnoticed and jumped from the fourth floor of a nearby parking garage. She had been admitted to the hospital’s emergency department multiple times in 2024 for previous suicide attempts.
According to a lawsuit filed by her family, the hospital had removed several safety measures designed to protect patients at risk of self-harm, including a continuous sitter, a video monitoring system, and a door alarm. The suit alleges that the facility failed to properly supervise her on the night she died.
Her mother, Nasra Gertrude, expressed frustration and heartbreak over the lack of answers. “I ask what happened. How come she left the room without anybody seeing her? How come she walked all the way to the elevator without anybody seeing her?” she said. “They haven’t given me any answer at all. I trusted this hospital to take care of my daughter.”
Following her death, hospital officials terminated 15 nurses and disciplined another, citing allegations that they improperly accessed Niyimbona’s medical records without being involved in her treatment. This, they said, could amount to a breach of federal patient privacy regulations.
The Washington State Nurses Association, which represents the affected staff, disputes the hospital’s rationale, claiming the disciplinary actions were retaliation against nurses who spoke to the media about the circumstances surrounding the incident. The union said grievances have been filed, though resolution could take considerable time.
A spokesperson for Providence maintained that the actions were not retaliatory, stressing that the hospital is committed to protecting patient privacy and takes “appropriate action” when such violations are suspected.
Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Health is conducting an investigation into the events leading up to Niyimbona’s death. In response to the tragedy, Providence Sacred Heart has introduced new measures, including mandatory suicide risk screening for all patients and updated procedures to quickly locate missing individuals within the facility.
Family members remember Niyimbona as a vibrant and loving child. “She was a shining light,” they said, noting that she had touched the hearts of everyone she met. Her sister, Asha Joseph, voiced the family’s ongoing confusion and grief: “We’re confused how this could happen. We want to know why there wasn’t anyone watching her and how she was able to leave.”
