December 21, 2021
Meghan O'Toole
Public policy and making change: Lake Forest College students present at Illinois Mental Health Summit
Sara Patton '23 and Abby Mann '24 made a mark at the Illinois Mental Health Summit on October 12 when they presented their own experiences and concerns about the state of mental health treatment resources in Illinois.
What began with an assignment in Christine Walker's Politics 226: Public Policy Studies class turned into an opportunity to bring learning beyond the classroom and potentially effect policy change. Lake Forest College is introducing a new minor in public policy beginning spring 2022 that will help students continue to help work towards public policy reform. After her own experience in an emergency room following a mental health crisis, Patton presented her solution for providing more support to behavioral health hospital units to the Illinois Mental Health Summit. Nearly 30 people heard her argument for reforms to ER centers of care, and one member of the summit shared Patton's paper with other policymakers beyond the meeting, expanding Patton's reach.
"As a public policy student, I want to bring this to the next level. I want to think about what can be improved not only for the person going through a mental health crisis, but also for the health and safety of hospital workers and law enforcement," Patton said.
The new minor in public policy connects students to resources that help them effect change and realize their agency in matters of public policy. The minor's interdisciplinary design can support a wide variety of career aspirations. Students can combine two majors with the public policy minor or one major and an additional minor to help achieve a specific niche.
Mann also shared her ideas with the summit, speaking specifically about how out-of-state mental health facilities should be last-resort options for children, teens, and college students due to the lack of state oversight. "Presenting was important to me because it was the first time I felt like I had a voice," Mann said of the experience. "I have a lot more confidence in myself and my ability to create change than I ever did before."
Patton, who is majoring in politics with a minor in legal studies, plans to attend law school once she completes her undergraduate degree at Lake Forest College. "I know I want to help people in the future, and I know being a lawyer will help me do that. I want to focus on immigration law and continue to be a mental health advocate. Law school will give me more tools to help more people in the future," she said.
Studying public policy has helped Patton understand how laws and policy are formed and how she can work to change and influence them. "Every time something bad happens to me, I think about how we can make a change and how that change can become public policy," Patton said.
The analytic approach of the public policy program encourages students to analyze issues from all sides. Mann said her experience in the class changed how she views change: "A lot of policy issues are systemic, and they're not going to change overnight, but taking smaller steps towards individual issues will eventually make change."
Studying public policy prepares students to take on problems they identify in their communities. With knowledge and understanding of public policy, students can go on to effect change at local, state, and federal levels. "As a public policy student, you're not only learning how to improve conditions, but also every step you need to take to make your idea reality," Patton said. "Public policy gives you the tools so you can change the world for the future."