REEDLEY – The Sierra Kings Health Care District has welcomed its first-ever Parlier resident to the SKHCD board of directors.
In an Oct. 6 press release, SKHCD announced that the board unanimously voted to appoint Lydia Martinez to represent Zone 4 on Sept. 23, filling a vacancy left by former board member Pete Perez. According to SKHCD, Zone 4 is the health care district’s only area that includes the city of Parlier, and it was important to the board to appoint somebody who could be a reflection of the city and community.
SKHCD said that when assessing its priorities — of obesity, diabetes and behavioral health — Parlier lags behind other zones in the district.
“For that reason, a strong and consistent voice at the table that is poised to advocate for Parlier is important to the cognitive diversity of the board,” SKHCD CEO Chinayera Black Hardaman said. “Director Martinez embodies that.”
According to a November 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment conducted by SKHCD, residents in Parlier report slightly higher rates than those in Reedley of various social determinants of health. This includes higher rates of people who reported experiencing 14+ days of poor mental health, adults who have ever been diagnosed with depression and adults who smoke tobacco.
More Parlier residents than Reedley residents also reported having a sedentary lifestyle, not having health insurance and experiencing obesity and diabetes.
Martinez will serve in her appointed position through December 2026. Due to Perez resigning early in his term, which he was appointed to in-lieu of an election in November 2024, the board is able to temporarily fill the seat. An election for a permanent representative to take over the remainder of the term, which runs through 2028, will be held during the 2026 midterms.
Martinez is currently the prevention and intervention coordinator for Parlier Unified School District, where she has worked for more than 27 years. According to SKHCD, she enjoys family and community service projects during her free time. She has been married to Milton Martinez for more than 33 years and has two daughters and three grandchildren.
