15 nurses have been dismissed from their positions at a Washington state children’s hospital after a 12-year-old patient died by suicide there.
According to shocking reports, Sarah Niyimbona died on April 13 after slipping from her room at Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane and jumping from the fourth floor of a parking garage.
The New York Post report that Sarah – described as a compassionate, “outspoken” middle schooler – had been admitted to the emergency room multiple times during the course of 2024 relating to suicide attempts.
Tragically, staff at Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital neglected key safety features that include an around-the-clock sitter, a video monitor and a door alarm. Citing a lawsuit filed by Sarah’s family, Investigate West report that they also failed to supervise her on the night that she died.
Nasra Gertrude, the 12-year-old’s mother, told Investigate West: “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?
“They haven’t given me any answer at all. I trusted this hospital to take care of my daughter.”
15 nurses have since been fired from the hospital, and another disciplined. Hospital chiefs claim the nurses improperly accessed Sarah’s medical records without being directly involved in her care (a potential violation of the federal health privacy law HIPAA.)
Meanwhile, the Washington State Nurses Association – representing the staffers – counters that the firings were “retaliation” against nurses who spoke to the media in the wake of Sarah’s death.
A state Department of Health investigation into Sarah’s death is ongoing.
Sarah’s sister, Asha Joseph, 19, told PBS: “We’re confused how this could happen. We also want to know why there wasn’t anyone there at the moment, why there was nobody watching her and how she was able to leave.”
On Niyimbona’s GoFundMe page, organized by Asha, the girl was described as a “bright angel who lit [up] our lives with her presence.”
“An act of negligence led to her passing and were left with so many questions,” the page reads. “Over the past year, Sarah bravely fought a long battle with her mental health, spending countless months in and out of hospital facilities, seeking the care and treatment she deserved. It had been almost 3 months without having Sarah home before she passed. It’s heartbreaking that the one place that was supposed to keep her safe failed to do so.”
Rest in peace, Sarah Niyimbona.