Children’s Hospital Fires 15 Nurses After 12-Year-Old Patient’s Suicide
A children’s hospital has terminated the employment of fifteen nurses and disciplined another following the tragic suicide of a 12-year-old patient who slipped out of her room and died after jumping from a hospital parking garage.
The patient, Sarah Niyimbona, described by family as a caring and outspoken middle schooler, died on April 13. She had been admitted multiple times in 2024 for suicide attempts. Despite her history of self-harm, safety measures such as a round-the-clock sitter, video monitoring, and door alarms were reportedly removed prior to the incident, according to a family lawsuit cited by Investigate West.
Sarah’s mother, Nasra Gertrude, expressed deep frustration and sorrow over the hospital’s failure to adequately supervise her daughter. “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?” Gertrude said. “They haven’t given me any answer at all. I trusted this hospital to take care of my daughter.”
Hospital officials have stated that the nurse terminations relate to unauthorized access of the patient’s medical records, a potential violation of the federal HIPAA privacy law. However, the nurses’ union, representing the affected staff, has accused the hospital of retaliating against employees who spoke to the media following the suicide. The union has filed a grievance, which could take considerable time to resolve.
Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital said in a statement that it conducted an internal review after the incident and has since introduced new safety protocols, including suicide risk screening for all patients and enhanced procedures for locating missing patients.
A state Department of Health investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sarah Niyimbona’s death remains ongoing.
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