Dr. Hansel Tookes ‘99 Named a Starbucks ‘Upstander’

Marti Lotman
Dr. Hansel Tookes ‘99 has been tapped as a Starbucks “Upstander.” The collection of short vignettes produced by Starbucks follows local community leaders and asks what it means to have courage in today’s America.
 
“Starbucks contacted me this spring. I had no idea what a huge deal the Upstanders series was. I was like ‘sure, come film the needle exchange.’ We like to invite the press because it gets the word out about our program so we can reach more people in need. I had no idea millions of people would see a two minute video summarizing five years of my life,” Tookes says.
 
The video, produced by Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran, follows Tookes’ work in Miami to create the first needle exchange program in the state of Florida.
 
Tookes  credits his grandmother, the first African American to become the head nurse at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Miami, with inspiring his love for medicine.

She and I would feed the homeless when I was in my formative years. Then when I went to Benjamin I had the opportunity to see a CT surgery with Dr. Lester (dad of many TBS grads). I think that surgery sealed the deal,” Tookes says of his decision to pursue a career as a doctor.

During his time as a physician, Tookes has worked in Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital, where as a third-year medical student in 2012, he watched a young woman die due to an infection from a dirty needle.

At the time, Florida was one of 17 states without a legal way for drug users to exchange dirty needles for clean ones. Tookes, inspired by the plight of many of his patients, made it his mission to change that.

Needle exchange is almost as old as I am. This is not a new concept. But Florida was 30 years behind. There was so much suffering in our community from a lack of these evidence based programs. It was my privilege to do something about it,” Tookes says.
 
Although Tookes views his work as a privilege, it hasn’t come without a host of barriers and setbacks to achieve. In spite of the odds,Tookes refused to give up. He spent four years lobbying for a needle exchange program in Tallahassee.
 
“The Florida Legislature was surely a challenge. The moral objection to needle exchange is not formed in rational fact. There are probably some people reading this now who disagree. But, I had some amazing allies.  Representative Rooney ‘91, whose kids are TBS students, was one of my earliest supporters in the process,” Tookes says.
 
In March 2016, governor Rick Scott signed the bill into law. The bill allowed for one needle exchange in Miami-Dade County. The exchange, housed in an Overtown parking lot, saved 16 lives in its first month alone. Tookes says his overdose prevention program, which launched in April, has saved over 200 lives through distributing naloxone, the antidote to opioid overdose.
 
Tookes says his next move is to develop an exchange program in Palm Beach County, his home town.
 
“Life is about the people you meet. I feel very fortunate to have met many wonderful people while at Benjamin.  Michael Shapiro ‘99 was over yesterday for a swim. Chris Seaton ‘99 and I attending grand rounds together last week at UM. A painting by Vince Lardieri ‘99 hangs prominently in my apartment. The strength of these relationships, which have endured decades, have made me who I am today.”
 
Watch the Starbucks Upstander video below!
 
 

 
 


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A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.
 
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