Due to Medicaid's lack of funding for inpatient treatment, many individuals seeking help for substance-use issues are being turned away, placed on lengthy wait lists, and are being referred to local hospitals for treatment.  Our local hospital, PRMC, does not have the capabilities to accept these patients for detox, unless it is a secondary issue to an acute medical problem. Without treatment, the social consequences will be extreme - crime will most likely increase, unemployment will increase, healthy families and social relationships will begin to disintegrate, and the overall health and well-being of our community will certainly be changed for the worse.   We need to encourage our local County Executive, Bob Culver, to declare a State of Emergency so that federal funds can be used to supplement the treatment needs of our local community.