Washington hospital fires fifteen nurses after 12-year-old patient’s suicide

More than a dozen nurses have been sacked and another disciplined at a Washington state children’s hospital after a 12-year-old patient took her own life at the facility.

Sarah Niyimbona, a compassionate, “outspoken” middle schooler, died April 13 after slipping out of her room at Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane and jumping from the fourth floor of a parking garage, according to a report.

Niyimbona had been admitted to the emergency room multiple times in 2024 for suicide attempts, The Spokesman-Review said.

The hospital allegedly removed key safety measures despite her history of self-harm — including a round-the-clock sitter, a video monitor and a door alarm — and failed to properly supervise her the night she died, Investigate West reported, citing a lawsuit filed by the family.