15 nurses fired from kids hospital after 12-year-old patient dies by suicide
15 Nurses Fired After 12-Year-Old’s Suicide at Washington Hospital
Fifteen nurses have been fired from Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane after 12-year-old Sarah Niyimbona died by suicide there on April 13. Sarah slipped out of her room and jumped from a parking garage.
A lawsuit claims staff failed to provide safety measures such as a sitter, video monitor, and door alarm. Her mother, Nasra Gertrude, asked: “How come she left the room without anybody seeing her? … I trusted this hospital to take care of my daughter.”
Hospital leaders say the nurses accessed Sarah’s medical records without authorization, while the nurses’ union calls the firings “retaliation” for speaking to the media.
Sarah’s sister, Asha Joseph, said: “We’re confused how this could happen… why there was nobody watching her.” Her GoFundMe page calls her a “bright angel” and says, “An act of negligence led to her passing.” A state investigation is ongoing.
