October 27, 2017
“A new student-run wound clinic at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine opened to provide essential care to people who inject drugs, a historically underserved population.”
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
October 18, 2017
“With the state’s overdose count increasing, the University of Miami’s IDEA Exchange Center, Florida’s first public clean syringe program, has recently been distributing the revival drug for free at its base location, in 1636 NW 7th avenue in Miami.”
WUSF Public Media
October 18, 2017
“Syringe exchange program started at the University of Miami is gaining national notice.”
University of Miami, Health News
May 2, 2017
“Florida’s first needle exchange program has served 240 people since opening its doors in November 2016.”
Drugrehab.com
April 28, 2017
“We want to make ourselves accessible to everyone,” said Emelina Martinez, IDEA Exchange Center’s outreach coordinator. “It doesn’t matter if you’re homeless, it doesn’t matter how much money you have in the bank, everybody nowadays is getting affected.”
WLRN
April 27, 2017
“University of Miami physicians and top public health experts from UM’s groundbreaking needle exchange center (Miami’s IDEA Exchange) announced a new program to distribute the anti-overdose drug naloxone (Narcan) to local substance users.”
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
February 27, 2017
“So far, IDEA has raised $700,000 from donors including the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which also stepped in to provide free HIV and Hepatitis C testing kits when the county and state health departments refused, according to Tookes.”
The Atlantic
November 30, 2016
“The clinic, housed in two beige storage containers, with air conditioners so new there are still bits of packing plastic on them, will open its teal doors on Thursday, World AIDs Day. The University of Miami will operate the clinic, which will have a mobile unit, through private funding; no taxpayer money will be used for the project.”
Miami Herald
July 29, 2016
“A public health advocate in Miami, where new HIV infection rates consistently top the state and national charts, Tookes had been struggling for years to get a bill passed in the Florida Legislature to create a program in Miami-Dade County to help end that terrible distinction.”
Miami Herald
March 23, 2016
“The needle exchange bill allows the University of Miami to distribute free, clean needles and syringes in exchange for used ones. Its goal is to reach drug users, who are particularly susceptible to contracting HIV and AIDS.”
Miami Herald
November 19, 2015
“A Senate panel Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would create a pilot needle-exchange program in Miami-Dade County to try to stem the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases.”
Health News Florida
July 6, 2015
“A team of researchers from the Miller School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital has published an eye-opening study of the financial cost to the public and the level of mortality for injection drug users admitted to Jackson for treatment of infections.”
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine