Over a dozen nurses were out of jobs after the tragic passing of a 12-year-old girl at their hospital, per the New York Post.
“I trusted this hospital to take care of my daughter,” said heartbroken mother Nasra Gertrude, who desperately wanted to know how her daughter Sarah June Niyimbona was left unsupervised, despite so many warning signs.
Sarah Niyimbona died on April 13 after leaving her room at Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane, Washington and jumping from the fourth floor of a nearby parking garage. She was previously admitted to the hospital for suicide attempts in 2024.
Since Sarah’s passing, the hospital fired 15 nurses and disciplined another.
Two 911 calls were made after Sarah’s injured body was found on the concrete floor, within the hospital premises, on April 13.
Her mother was by her side shortly after, begging her to wake up.
“I ask what happened,” Gertrude told The Spokesman-Review. “How come she left the room without anybody seeing her? They haven’t given me any answer at all. I trusted this hospital to take care of my daughter.”
Gertrude blamed her daughter’s death on Sacred Heart .
“I feel like they neglected my daughter and they neglected me. I feel like they were tired of seeing Sarah there, so they didn’t care about looking after her all the time,” she said.
The Department of Health is also engaged in an investigation into Niyimbona’s death.
Nurses Fight Back
The Washington State Nurses Association, which represents the staffers, claims the firings were “retaliation” against nurses who spoke to the media after Sarah’s death.
The union said the nurses have filed a grievance, a process that “could take a long time” to resolve.
Providence spokesperson Jen York told the Spokesman-Review the terminations were about protecting patient privacy, saying the hospital reviews conduct and takes “appropriate action, including termination of employment, where warranted.”
Niyimbona’s 19-year-old sister, Asha Joseph, said the family is still searching for answers.
“We’re confused how this could happen,” she said. “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