"Some things are coming up with the hospital and there are decisions to be made and the Sierra Kings said it's not just a Sierra King's decision. We need to bring the City of Parlier and the City of Reedley, and the school boards, and other local agency representatives and have a full public conversation about the future of our hospital," explains Chinayera Black-Hardaman, Sierra Kings Health Care District CEO.
Decisions and improvements include being seismic compliant by the year 2030 to reduce risks in the event of an earthquake.
Plus plans for a continued partnership with Adventist Health.
"Sierra King will likely launch a ballot initiative during the midterms in 2026 but we want to make sure the community understood that all we are asking them to do is approve the ongoing relationship with Adventist Health its not a tax or bond initiative, it's simply saying we value what Adventist Health has been doing in our community and we want to make sure we continue to partner with them," mentions Chinayera.
Sierra Kings Hospital District explains there is a March 1, 2026, deadline where they would have to have a seismic complaint design which meets certain requirements, "Once that design is completed we take that to a construction agency to see how it would cost for us to retrofit this hospital."
The conversation comes amid uncertainty about the stability of rural hospitals, especially after the closure of Madera Community Hospital in 2023 and the eventual reopening years later.
Timothy Haydock, Adventist Health Operations Executive, expresses, "There is a lot of concerns around rural hospitals throughout the state of California, across the country, so we wanted to reinforce to the community members that adventist health is committed to the community of Reedley, and all the things that we have done to make sure we are on stable footing for the future."
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