Mammoth Lakes attorney, UCSD Economics & Healthcare graduate, and your voice on the Southern Mono Healthcare District Board.
"As a solo practitioner in Mammoth Lakes for over a decade, I've gone without employer health insurance — and I've represented clients who face the same impossible choices. I know what it means to fight for people, and I'll do it on this Board."
"What kind of healthcare do you want for our community? I will ask the questions and be the voice for our local residents."
Sophie Bidet came to Mammoth Lakes with a degree from UC San Diego — a dual focus on Economics and Healthcare Issues — and a clear sense of direction: she wanted to advocate for human rights on an international stage. She went on to earn her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where she pursued that goal with intention. During law school, she enrolled in an international human rights course in Europe, immersing herself in the legal frameworks that protect people's most fundamental rights — among them, the right to health.
Determined to put herself on a path toward international human rights practice, Sophie took a position at Clifford Chance in Paris, France — one of the world's preeminent international law firms — gaining firsthand experience in the kind of high-stakes, cross-border legal work she had envisioned for herself.
Sophie practiced family law for 10 years before making her way to the Eastern Sierra in 2013. She served as a contract Public Defender in Inyo County until 2019, at which point she moved her practice to Mono County, where she currently provides public defender services to the community. She has also built a broader practice encompassing criminal defense, HOA law, and family law and mediation.
As a solo practitioner, Sophie has never had access to employer-sponsored health insurance. She knows — not from a policy brief, but from her own monthly experience — what it costs to navigate the individual market, how quickly premiums can outpace income, and what it means to make difficult trade-offs about coverage.
"Every week I sit across from people whose lives have been upended — by a criminal charge, a family crisis, a neighborhood dispute. What I've learned is that access to competent, caring representation changes outcomes. Healthcare is no different. Access changes outcomes. That's what I'll fight for on this Board."
Sophie's legal background gives her a skill set the Board critically needs: the ability to read and interrogate complex contracts, spot governance risks, and hold institutions accountable to the people they serve.
Her academic grounding in healthcare economics means she can engage substantively with the financial pressures facing Mammoth Hospital — from the North Wing construction financing and bond obligations, to Medi-Cal reimbursement structures, to the downstream effects of declining ACA subsidies on uninsured patient volume.
Sophie will bring to this Board the perspective it is missing: someone who has devoted her entire career to representing people who need an advocate most — who runs her own practice without a safety net, and who understands that the decisions made in that boardroom have real consequences for real people.
Sophie has reviewed every recent SMHD Board of Directors meeting. These are the real issues on the table — and where she stands on each one.
Mammoth Hospital is expanding — the North Wing project, rising service costs, and a growing regional footprint are signs of an institution outgrowing its original roots. Growth is not wrong. But when the cost of care rises faster than local wages, when the uninsured and middle-class workers feel priced out of their own community hospital, something has gone wrong.
Following the closure of the local Rite Aid, Board member Joanne Hunt raised the urgent question of whether Mammoth Hospital should operate a retail pharmacy to fill the gap in community access. The CEO confirmed an analysis was underway.
The CFO flagged a "weak payer mix" contributing to the hospital missing its $1.3M budget target in the first five months of FY26, and raised concern that declining ACA subsidies could increase the number of uninsured patients seeking care.
The multi-million dollar North Wing project is the largest capital undertaking in recent SMHD history, funded through bond debt. The Board has been closely tracking spend updates and approved a budget revision in March 2026.
The Board unanimously approved a four-party EMS Memorandum of Understanding with SMHD committing $100,000 per year for five years — a critical investment in the region's emergency medical services infrastructure.
The Board has an active Physician Compensation, Relations, Recruitment, and Retention committee. Ongoing credentialing activity reflects the hospital's need to keep its medical staff robust in a competitive rural market.
The Board approved a professional services agreement for psychiatry services in January 2026 and has been credentialing behavioral health providers, signaling recognition of growing need in the community.
The Board discussed a potential joint meeting with Northern Inyo Hospital District (NIHD) to explore regional strategic coordination, including a possible shared discussion on radiology services.
Following the departure of CEO Tom Parker in early 2026, the Board appointed an Interim CEO focused on a "Just Culture" and cultural change, with multiple special sessions on CEO review and compensation transparency.
The Board received a presentation on the hospital's Population Health Program in March 2026, reflecting SMHD's commitment to community-wide health outcomes informed by the 2025 Community Health Needs Assessment.
Seven concrete commitments Sophie will bring to every Board meeting, every vote, every decision.
Champion a deliberate, ongoing review of how rising service costs, expansion decisions, and operational priorities affect Mammoth Lakes' year-round residents — particularly the uninsured, underinsured, and middle-class workers.
Push for rapid, community-centered resolution of the pharmacy gap left by Rite Aid's closure, ensuring all residents — regardless of income — can access their medications locally.
Work with hospital leadership to build financial safety nets as ACA subsidies decline, and advocate at the state level for policies that protect rural community members from coverage gaps.
Ensure every North Wing spend update is communicated clearly to the public, with taxpayer-friendly reporting that holds contractors and administration accountable.
Make mental health a priority in every budget cycle, pushing for expanded psychiatry access, addiction services, and integrating behavioral health into primary care.
Revive and advance the NIHD-SMHD regional collaboration talks, working toward shared services and coordinated care models that reduce costs and improve access across the Eastern Sierra.
Draw on a career in criminal defense, public defense, family law, and mediation to ensure that the Board's decisions never lose sight of their human impact.
Sophie is proud to have the support of respected members of the Mammoth Lakes community.
Endorsed by Dr. Sarah Sindell of Mammoth Hospital.
Dr. Sarah Sindell, M.D. Physician · Mammoth HospitalEndorsed by Christy Driehaus of Mammoth Hospital.
Christy Driehaus Mammography Technologist · Mammoth HospitalSophie Bidet will ask the questions and be the voice for our local residents. Join the campaign, spread the word, and vote to put a real community voice on the SMHD Board.