The Arizona Diabetes Virtual Center of Excellence (ATP’s ADVICE Program) received national recognition at the First Annual Congressional Forum for Native American and Alaska Native Tribal Leaders and Tribal College Presidents held on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. in February, 2004. The program was organized by U.S. Senators Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) and Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colorado) and included a special tribute to Army Specialist Lori Piestewa, the Hopi soldier killed in Iraq. Her mother and father spoke at a reception at the U.S. Library of Congress. Dr. Weinstein, the Director of the ADVICE Program, was one of four invited speakers who discussed health disparities in Native Americans.
ADVICE breaks new ground in diabetes management and research. It provides podiatry services, diabetes retinal screening, and pediatric endocrinology services, by telemedicine. It has developed innovative programs in teenage education in diabetes control and obesity management. ADVICE and the Rural Health Office sponsored a state-wide diabetes roundtable video-conference that facilitated communication among many diabetes organizations in Arizona. From 2004-2006 ADVICE was funded by a federal grant from the Office for Advancement of Telehealth.