15 Nurses Fired After Child’s Suicide at Hospital — Union Accuses Hospital of Retaliation

Washington’s largest nurses union is accusing Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane of retaliating against staff following the suicide of a 12-year-old patient on hospital grounds earlier this year.

The hospital recently fired 15 nurses and disciplined at least one more, alleging they accessed the patient’s medical records without being directly involved in her care. But the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) says the terminations came after staff raised concerns about the child’s treatment — and followed public criticism of the hospital’s psychiatric care system.