A Spokane hospital’s firing of 15 nurses after a 12-year-old’s suicide has set up a legal and regulatory clash over patient safety, privacy rules, and whistleblower protections.

At a Glance

• Providence Sacred Heart in Spokane fired 15 nurses after a child’s suicide, citing improper medical record access.
• The nurses’ union claims the terminations were retaliation for speaking to the media about safety concerns.
• Washington’s Department of Health found repeated safety violations related to suicidal-patient screening and supervision.
• The hospital implemented corrective measures, closing the state’s regulatory case.
• A family lawsuit and union grievance are ongoing, with potential national implications.

What Happened Before and After the Tragedy

On April 13, 2025, 12-year-old Sarah June Niyimbona left her pediatric unit at Providence Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital in Spokane and reached a campus parking garage. She jumped from a height and died two hours later in the emergency department. In the months prior, she had multiple emergency admissions and psychiatric stays, with documented high suicide risk.

The Spokesman-Review reported that the hospital’s internal reviews and a Washington Department of Health investigation followed. The regulatory probe found repeated violations in screening, supervision, and the timeliness of staff response after Sarah left the unit. The hospital implemented corrections, including expanded suicide-risk screening and structured missing-patient search protocols, which closed the regulatory case.

Privacy Enforcement or Retaliation?

Providence stated it terminated more than a dozen nurses for improperly accessing Sarah’s medical records, citing compliance with privacy laws. One additional nurse received disciplinary action short of termination.

The Washington State Nurses Association disputes the hospital’s rationale, alleging that those terminated were among staff who had publicly criticized psychiatric care and patient safety practices. The union has filed a grievance, setting up a formal dispute process that could lead to arbitration. The outcome may define how far hospitals can go in disciplining chart access without infringing on protections for employee speech about patient safety.

Watch now: Providence Nurse Firings After Patient Suicide · YouTube

Safety Standards and Institutional Accountability

InvestigateWest reported that the Department of Health identified deficiencies that were correctable but significant. These included failures in suicidal-patient supervision, gaps in risk screening, and a delayed elopement response. Providence’s corrective steps reflect standard guidance for hospitals caring for high-risk behavioral-health patients outside psychiatric wards, such as using dedicated sitters, environmental safety measures, and rapid-response protocols for missing patients.

The changes also highlight a parallel issue: electronic health record access controls. After a sentinel event, hospitals typically tighten “need-to-know” chart access policies, but these measures must be balanced with protections that allow clinicians to raise concerns about safety lapses without fear of retaliation.

Legal and Industry Implications

The family’s negligence lawsuit will test whether Sacred Heart met accepted standards in supervising a known high-risk patient. The union’s grievance will assess whether the privacy violations claimed by Providence can be proven and whether they justify termination in the context of alleged whistleblower activity.

Hospitals nationwide are watching the case for lessons on preventing patient elopement, implementing effective suicide-prevention protocols, and aligning HIPAA enforcement with employee protections. Outcomes from Spokane could shape policy and precedent on both privacy compliance and safety transparency in healthcare settings.

Sources

The Spokesman-Review
Nurse.org
InvestigateWest
Washington State Nurses Association