Sierra View Medical Center’s New Board Members Announced

Sierra View Medical Center (SVMC) welcomes new members to the Sierra View Local Healthcare District (SVLHCD) Board of Directors, Liberty Lomeli, PA-C, Dr. Bindusagar Reddy, MD, and re-elected member, Dr. Gaurang Pandya, MD. Returning members of the board include Dr. Ashok Behl, MD and Dr. Kent Sorrells, PhD. New appointed roles and responsibilities include: Dr. Kent Sorrells as Chairman, Dr. Gaurang Pandya as Vice Chair and Liberty Lomeli as Secretary.

After the election in November and official announcement of the elected board members was made, Sierra View’s Board of Directors gathered in late December where the three newly elected members were sworn in and took an oath of office.

“With keeping a common mission and vision of promoting health and ensuring access to high quality healthcare services to meet the needs of the community, I believe our board is equipped to guide us into a future that continues to strengthen our efforts to provide a strong healthcare facility.” said Donna Hefner, Chief Executive Officer of Sierra View Medical Center.

Joining Sierra View’s Board of Directors, representing District 1 is Bindusagar Reddy, MD, who is triple-board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is a local cardiologist who has been a part of the Porterville community for nearly 30 years. “My background in medicine and business, coupled with my Bakersfield Heart Hospital Board experience, gives me a unique perspective on how to run a successful medical center while prioritizing patient care,” said Dr. Reddy. “I look forward to the opportunity to bring this knowledge and a fresh perspective to the SVMC Board.”

Also new to the board is Liberty Lomeli, PA-C who is currently a Physician’s Assistant at Family HealthCare Network and representing District 4. Liberty has deep roots in Porterville and he wants to see the hospital that is fundamental to this area, continue to thrive. “Sierra View is my hospital and as a community member and patient, I truly want the best for our hospital and the people it serves,” Liberty said. “The reason I wanted to be on the board is to make a difference and I believe I can because of my long-time experience in healthcare.” Liberty has 30 years of experience in the industry and got his start in the U.S. Marines and the Navy before returning to his home town.

Re-elected to the board is Gaurang Pandya, MD who is representing District 2. Pandya has served on the board since 2012 and has been active in the community for more than 30 years. In fact, Dr. Pandya volunteered for Active Military Duty after his surgery residency and relocated to Porterville and began his private General Surgery Practice in 1988. “I am very thankful to our district residents for placing their trust in me and giving me an opportunity to serve them, so that together we can make a difference,” Dr. Pandya commented. “We have an opportunity to help steer the local health care delivery system in a direction to provide high quality local medical and surgical services so that our patients do not have to travel to get those services out of the area.”

The SVMC Board of Directors’ most recent meeting took place on January 26^th and was the first opportunity the board has had to meet as a group. During this first meeting, the main topics that were presented to the board and discussed were nursing education, an update on the pandemic: the COVID-19 vaccine and testing, and hospital financials.