Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jul 2000 Source: Herald Sun (Australia) Copyright: News Limited 2000 Contact: PO Box 14999, Melbourne City, MC 8001 Australia Fax: (03) 9292 2112 Website: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ Author: Nicola Webber 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." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens