E VERY WEEKDAY morning at 6: 15, about 40 of our patients board a bus that drops groups of them off at seven industrial plants on Long Island. There they work a normal eight-hour day. The men are in a special work program we have developed for long-term patients and those with repeated admissions. Our program philosophy is that many such patients, however limited their social capacities, can work successfully at selected jobs in the community, and that experiencing such success can improve their total behavior. In the past year, 41 patients in the program fulfilled our expectations by obtaining living quarters in the community and being discharged; most of them remained in the same jobs they had before discharge. The average length of time patients spend in the program is five months, and the maximum one year. From 35 to 55 men are in the program at one time; the average age of participants is 44, and their average total hospitalization is six years. Since January 1967, when the program began, 307 men have taken part, and only 69 had to drop out. We select both the men and the jobs carefully; each candidate is given a psychological and vocational assessment before entering the program. Because the kind of patient involved has so few assets, we usually resolve any doubts about his abilities in his favor. Patients may try several jobs before they find one that suits them. Most of the jobs involve operating machines or sorting or assembling materials. Whenever possible, we obtain samples of the materials and let patients practice before they start work. Most of the patients start in on-the-job training sponsored through the Manpower Development and