A 12-year-old girl died by suicide on April 13 at Spokane’s Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, raising serious questions about the hospital’s decision to shut down its inpatient psychiatric unit for youth just months earlier.
Sarah June Niyimbona had been receiving intermittent treatment for self-harm and suicidal thoughts for nearly eight months. According to her family and three staff members involved in her care, Sarah slipped out of her hospital room around 5:30 p.m. unnoticed and unsupervised. She walked alone to a nearby parking structure on the hospital campus and jumped from the fourth floor. She died two hours later in the emergency room.
Hospital officials have released minimal information regarding Sarah’s death, citing patient privacy. In a brief statement, Providence expressed sympathy to Sarah’s loved ones but declined further comment.
Sarah’s family, particularly her older sister Asha Joseph, is demanding answers. “How could a 12-year-old leave a locked hospital unit without anyone noticing?” Joseph asked. “We feel left in the dark. There’s no clarity, no accountability.”
The incident has reignited concerns over the hospital’s controversial closure of its Psychiatric Center for Children and Adolescents in October 2023. That decision, driven by reported financial losses, was heavily criticized by staff, advocacy groups, and community members who warned that the closure would leave vulnerable children without proper care.
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“We said something like this could happen,” said Kaili Timperley, a former nurse from the now-shuttered unit. “You can’t replace a secure psychiatric facility with a general pediatric room and call it equivalent care.”
Since the closure, children experiencing mental health crises have been placed either in the emergency department or in two converted rooms on the pediatric floor. Staff say these rooms lack the safety features and therapeutic environment needed for high-risk psychiatric patients. Doors don’t lock from the inside, and staff weren’t given specialized training to manage children at risk of suicide or self-harm.
Sarah had previously been under constant supervision, often with a “sitter” assigned to monitor her at all times. Staff members said this level of oversight was gradually reduced. A camera in her room was removed weeks before her death, and her final in-person sitter was withdrawn just days before she died—despite ongoing signs of distress. Sarah’s journal, filled with colorful rainbow drawings, also contained entries expressing deep sadness and longing to return home.
“She was isolated and alone most of the time,” said a nurse who worked in her unit. “When she wasn’t allowed out of her room or given appropriate tools for therapy, her condition only worsened. It felt inhumane.”
The nurse, who asked to remain anonymous due to job security concerns, said staff voiced safety concerns about Sarah multiple times but felt their warnings were ignored. “We weren’t equipped to provide the level of care she needed. And we were told to stay quiet after it happened.”
On the day of Sarah’s death, several pediatric nurses broke down in tears after code alerts rang through the hospital, revealing the gravity of what had occurred.
The Washington State Nurses Association has called for transparency and accountability. “This was a preventable loss,” said Executive Director David Keepnews. “The community and staff deserve to know what went wrong and how this will be prevented in the future.”
Sarah’s death has left her family searching for answers and legal representation. They’ve requested her medical records in hopes of understanding what led to her final moments. “It feels like the hospital is trying to hide something,” said Joseph.
In her memory, friends, classmates, and loved ones gathered for a funeral service in Cheney, where Sarah was remembered as bright, selfless, and fiercely protective of others. She was known for helping classmates and volunteering with her younger brother’s school program. She loved dancing, math, and watching reruns of “Friends.”
“She stood up for people when no one else would,” Joseph said during the service. “She was full of love, even when she didn’t feel loved herself.”
Sarah’s struggle began in middle school, where bullying—both in person and online—led to increased emotional distress. She made multiple visits to the hospital after self-harming and often called for help herself when she felt unsafe.
After stints in emergency care, behavioral health programs, and a group home, Sarah was admitted to Sacred Heart’s pediatric unit in January, where she remained until her death. Staff say the hospital was seeking long-term placement for her in the Children’s Long-term Inpatient Program (CLIP), Washington state’s most intensive psychiatric program. However, with limited bed availability and long waitlists, her future was uncertain.
InvestigateWest, a nonprofit newsroom focused on public-interest journalism, uncovered these details through hospital documents, interviews with staff and family, and 911 call records. The outlet is part of the Mental Health Parity Collaborative, which aims to shine a light on inequities in access to behavioral health care.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or thoughts of suicide, help is available by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org.
