August 13, 2025
The nurses were reportedly fired over alleged HIPAA violations regarding the now-deceased girl.
Fifteen nurses at a children’s hospital in Washington were fired after a 12-year-old Black girl committed suicide during their care.
The tween girl was supposed to have 24-hour supervision at the Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane. However, a lawsuit filed by her mother reveals that the young girl snuck away to take her own life.
According to KWTX, Sarah Niyimbona reportedly jumped from a parking garage to her untimely death April 13. The young girl was admitted to the children’s hospital due to her multiple suicide attempts before, and had been there since late 2024.
The lawsuit against Providence Health & Services, the corporation that oversees Sacred Heart, alleges that the hospital removed the healthcare professional and video monitor assigned to monitor Sarah. The filing also claims this negligent care allowed Sarah to walk around the floor to find the fourth-floor garage.
The lawsuit only questions one nurse directly involved in watching over the young girl at the children’s hospital. However, the other nurses were fired for improperly accessing Sarah’s medical records following the tragic incident. Providence stated that the nurses violated HIPAA regulations, alleging that they looked into the records for no medical purpose.
“Providence takes violations of our code of conduct and federal privacy laws that govern private health information very seriously. We review employee conduct and take appropriate action, including termination of employment, where warranted. Patient privacy is one of our top priorities,” Providence wrote in the statement obtained by the Spokesman-Review.
However, the nurses have since filed a grievance through their union in response to their terminations. They claim that accessing the files did not violate HIPAA, as they did so to respond to the crisis correctly.
“In less than two months, Providence Sacred Heart fired 15 nurses over allegations of HIPAA violations following the suicide of a 12-year-old patient at the hospital. Another one was disciplined. The union was contacted by these nurses and has filed grievances over the terminations and disciplinary action, arguing that any information accessed pertained directly to the nurses’ duties responding to this crisis,” said WSNA director David Keepnews in a statement.
The union asserts that the nurses were brought in to assist in the medical emergency. They reportedly received information for context on the girl’s condition.
“We reject Providence Sacred Heart’s claims that privacy was violated by nurses who were doing their jobs to assist in efforts to save the life of a 12-year-old girl in the hospital’s care,” added Keepnews.
Furthermore, they claim the terminations stemmed from their speaking with media outlets over Sarah’s high-profile case. Alongside the lawsuit, the State Department of Health has also launched an investigation into the matter.
Sarah’s family had launched a GoFundMe to cover medical and lawyer expenses. In the description, they noted how the “tragic” occurrence happened at the children’s hospital that “failed” to keep her safe.
“It’s tragic that her potential was cut short due to a lack of care,” detailed the crowdfunding. “An act of negligence led to her passing and were left with so many questions… It’s heartbreaking that the one place that was supposed to keep her safe failed to do so.”
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