Fifteen nurses have been terminated from Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane, Washington, after a 12-year-old patient under their supervision died by suicide earlier this year.
According to a lawsuit, on April 13th, 2025, Sarah Niyimbona left her hospital room without staff noticing and made her way to the facility’s parking garage. She jumped from the fourth floor, suffering fatal injuries.
Court documents state that Sarah had been admitted multiple times to Sacred Heart’s emergency department in late 2024 for repeated suicide attempts. She was considered in need of “24-hour supervision,” but the suit claims Providence Health removed both the staff member assigned to watch her and the video monitoring system in her room.
The filing accuses hospital staff of failing to keep her under observation that evening, allowing her to walk unaccompanied through the hospital before reaching the parking structure.
The Spokesman-Review reports that fifteen nurses were later fired, and one was disciplined after questions arose about how Sarah managed to leave unnoticed. The newspaper also said multiple nurses allegedly accessed Sarah’s medical records without being part of her care team, which could violate the federal HIPAA privacy law.
The nurses’ union confirmed the terminations and said those involved have filed a grievance. The union added that the process “could take a long time” to conclude.
On a GoFundMe page, Sarah was remembered as a “shining light” who “touched the hearts of everyone she met.”
The case has drawn national attention, raising concerns about mental health care in pediatric facilities and the safeguards needed to protect vulnerable patients.
