Jan. 11--It is ironic that Mary Ann Borgeson -- a Douglas County Board member and chairwoman of the Region 6 mental health board -- has quit her job with Alegent Health after the company said she had violated its conflict-of-interest policy. Ironic, that is, because as a longtime, energetic leader on behavioral health policy, Borgeson has long stood out for not showing favoritism toward Alegent. And that has continued to be the case. In making recommendations and offering analysis on important behavioral health issues, Borgeson for years has demonstrated an ability to detach herself from her professional affiliation with Alegent. When Alegent showed interest several years ago in managing a proposed mental health recovery center in Omaha, Borgeson was no cheerleader for her employer. On the contrary, the vision she championed for the proposed center made things more complicated, rather than easier, for Alegent and other institutions interested in pursuing a particular approach to the center. At the same time, it would have been awkward at best and troubling at worst for Borgeson, as Region 6 chairwoman, to vote soon on Alegent's current proposal to operate the planned recovery center. By severing her ties to Alegent, Borgeson removed that cloud. At any rate, nothing from her past behavior indicates that she would have approached the decision with anything less than the professionalism she routinely employs on behavioral health policy.
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