Adopting a new behavior, even one that is good for us, can be difficult. I belong to a gym, and I've come to observe each January with interest.

Late last year I decided to tackle a topic I had been putting off for quite some time: Having the dreaded end-of-life conversation with my family. No, I am not ill (thankfully), nor are my loved ones currently going through a difficult situation.

It is pretty difficult to work in the health care setting without hearing about the plague that has infected the majority of the workforce: burnout. The pressures of caregiving, budgets, bottom lines, quality scores and regulatory burden have been named as a few of the causes.

Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to lead programs focused on helping our partners increase their capacity to reach underserved patients to help them prevent or better manage their chronic conditions.

It seems as if the kidneys are finally getting the national attention they deserve.

Diabetes Alert Day was March 26, and our team was busy working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health systems, health plans and community-based organizations to get the word out to consumers that diabetes is preventable and what they can do to take action.

Shortly after I joined Qualis Health, I was invited to become a Diabetes Self-Management Program (DSMP) lay leader.

My call to public health came shortly after I finished my bachelor’s degree. I was planning to become a doctor, so I was busy preparing to apply to medical school — studying for the MCAT, working at a local hospital and shadowing a primary care physician.

According to some studies, Native Americans have a 50% chance of being listed as the wrong race on medical records.