HEROIN HOTEL PROPOSED TO CURB DEATHS

HEROIN addicts would be offered a bed, food, medical help, counselling
and a place to inject drugs under a plan to be considered by the State
Government.Drug users who check in to the so-called "drug hotel" would
be referred to rehabilitation and detoxification centres in a bid to
stop the drugs scourge.

The move comes amid criticism of the Bracks Government for failing to
act quickly to stop heroin addicts dying from drug overdoses.

A Melbourne drug rehabilitation centre yesterday said it was being
forced to turn away drug users who were desperately seeking help.

Odyssey House chief executive David Crosbie described the state's
rehabilitation and detoxification services as woefully inadequate.

"You can't get in. There are no places," he told the Herald
Sun.

The Odyssey House residential program is funded to provide 65
residential treatment beds for addicts, but has averaged 80 residents
over the past month.

In a letter to all state MPs, Mr Crosbie described his frustration at
having to reject people in need of help.

"This weekend, one of the clients who had been waiting several weeks
for a place in treatment died of an overdose. Another day, another
preventable death," he wrote.

Premier Steve Bracks yesterday said the government would look at a
"drug hotel" as part of its fight against heroin.

VicHealth chief executive Rob Moodie, Opposition health spokesman
Robert Doyle and the Premier's parliamentary secretary Bruce
Mildenhall, visited such crisis centres on their recent fact-finding
mission to Europe and the United States.

Mr Moodie said the centres helped get heroin users off the streets and
put them into direct contact with health, welfare and rehabilitation
agencies.

"It is a win for residents and traders as well as for users," he
said.

And the Opposition said it would support such a crisis centre - if it
did not include a supervised injecting room.

"It is something that we haven't tried here before and it's something
that has worked overseas," Mr Doyle said.

He also said the drug debate had become too focused on the issue of
injecting rooms and it was time for a bipartisan approach.

The government's drug strategy includes supervised injecting rooms,
more rehabilitation and detoxification centres, education campaigns
and extra policing.

The government's drugs adviser, Professor David Penington, will
address Liberal MPs on Monday, before the Opposition decides whether
to support injecting rooms.

Health Minister John Thwaites hopes to meet Mr Doyle, Mr Mildenhall
and Mr Moodie on Friday to discuss their fact-finding trip.

A spokeswoman for Mr Thwaites, Sandra McKay, yesterday defended the
government's record on drug funding.

"The government is painfully aware that more and more people,
especially young people, are dying on the streets from drug
overdoses," she said.

"That is why we are increasing funding of drug treatment and services
by $18million this year."