Beyond the Bureaucracy: Meet Patsy
Meet Patsy
I transitioned to federal service to make a wide spread impact that being an individual practitioner couldn’t make.
I recognized the public behavioral health approach allowed me to impact more lives faster and that I could be a champion for my clients who felt like they had no voice.
TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR TIME IN GOVERNMENT. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE PART?
My favorite part in federal service was working alongside such compassionate people. The policy solutions we proposed together, the programs we developed, and the lives we changed. We did this with an understanding that the community may never know our names, but their lives would be better because of the effort we put in to our jobs.
WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
I am most proud of standing up programs during the peak of COVID that allowed front-line providers to access wellness resources and care. I am proud of strategies I assisted with to help address workforce shortage issues, and I am proud of the silos I helped to break down.
IF YOU’RE COMFORTABLE, SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT HOW YOU WERE SEPARATED FROM YOUR POSITION?
I’m honestly not sure. I saw a press release from HHS and then a few days later I received a letter saying I was impacted by reduction in force. It all happened so fast.
What are your ideal next steps??
I’m still figuring out what my next step will be but I certainly will continue to be a champion for improved access to mental health care, widespread access to opioid overdose reversal medication, and funding to continue to grow the workforce
How we can support:
A note from the Arielle Lewis Studios Team:
Please connect with Patsy on LinkedIn to show your support, and hopefully make a connection that can benefit her and others in their journeys moving forward!
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