Dr. Paul Martin Schneider, the new director of that sprawling psychiatric facility known as Binghamton State Hospital, is a lousy fisherman.

Although he talks freely of his lack of luck with the rod and reel, it is clear he is less concerned with catching fish than with "catching" more personnel and volunteer workers, and with improving the facilities and helping patients.

"None of the state hospitals has enough staff," he said in an interview. We all could use more staff than is allotted us.

"They (Department of Mental Hygiene in Albany) try to give us the staff that is required, but the patient load is such that we could use more. "That's why we're glad to have volunteers participate in the programs, supplementing the work of the occupational and recreational programs of the hospital."

The hospital has some 2,500 patients. The total is comparable to the population of the Town of Sanford, and more than the individual populations of the towns of Barker, Lisle, Nanticoke or Triangle.

There are some 1,200 employees. Of these, about 750 have duties directly related to the care of the patients, Dr. Schneider said. They include nurses, patient attendants, psychiatrists, occupational therapists and psychiatric social, workers.

Dr. Schneider (who pronounces his name Snyder) took over the reins of director last June. He succeeded Dr. Ulysses Schutzer, who left the post last Jan. 31 after serving as director for more than five years.

The new director is a husky, former Army major who stands nearly six feet and weighs 195. He has brown eyes, and his black hair is streaked with gray. He was born in Ilion in the upstate county of Herkimer 57 years ago.

Seated at his desk in the Main Building on the hospital grounds, Dr. Schneider said he plans to follow Dr. Schutzer's master plan for eventual renovation OP replacement of old buildings.

The $1,600,000 remodeling of the three-story Broadmoor Building, begun under Dr. Schutzer's directorship, has just been completed, Schneider announced.

The remodeling work, started in 1962, included installation of an elevator (the building had none before), enlargement of bathing and toilet facilities, construction of new nurses' stations and improvements in lighting, heating, dining and kitchen facilities.

In preparation for modernization, Broadmoor's 600 male mental patients were transferred to other Binghamton State Hospital buildings or to Willard State Hospital in Seneca County.

Broadmoor again will be occupied by some 600 male patients late this month or early in February, Dr. Schneider said. The patients will be transferred from the oldest of the hospital's eight other patient buildings. These include the North, South, East and West buildings.

Building plans for 1964-65, the director added, call for a start on construction of a laundry building, a geriatrics building to house some 200 elderly patients, and a storehouse.

The laundry and storehouse would replace existing buildings. While the geriatrics building would be a new type of facility, it actually would replace the North Building, Dr. Schneider said.

"We've already reviewed the plans, but there has been no approval yet," he said. "We hope the work will get started in a year or two."

He added that there were no cost estimates available yet.

Eventually, Dr. Schneider said, it is hoped that all the hospital's old buildings will be replaced or renovated.

The new director made these other comments:

He has made no significant changes since taking over. "The policies are more or less established by the central office (Department of Mental Hygiene)."

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the interest and understanding of the public concerning mental health. The attitude of the public has been influenced favorably by certain television shows and programs sponsored by mental health associations. "This is reflected by the fact that many patients admit themselves to a state hospital for treatment on a voluntary basis."

About 60 to 70 per cent of Binghamton State Hospital's patients "can be improved to the extent that they can return to the community. Some may not be able to pick up entirely where they left off, but they can become socially acceptable and create no problems. Some also may continue to receive out-patient treatment."

The use of tranquilizing drugs "has been a revolution that has allowed the wards to be opened up. It permits the patients to live more like an individual. It calms and reduces the excitement of the patient—the tensions created by mental problems. This allows the patient to become amenable to other treatments or therapy. Electric shock treatment still is used in selected cases."

Dr. Schneider said he has found the Triple Cities area to be a "very progressive and friendly" community. "It is equipped with very good psychiatric services — unusually so."

He and his wife, Margaret, a native of Utica, live in the red brick house on the hospital grounds that is reserved for the director and his family. The Schneiders have a son, Paul F. X. Schneider, who is a senior at Loyola High School in New York City.

The new director came to Binghamton from Manhattan State Hospital on Ward's Island, where he had been assistant director since 1950.

He received his B. S. degree from Hamilton College, Clinton, in 1929 and his medical degree from Albany Medical School in 1935. After interning at Highland Hospital, Rochester, he entered state service in 1936 at Rochester State Hospital as a resident and later served as senior physician.

From 1938 to 1940, Dr. Schneider serve on the staff of Pilgrim State Hospital in West Brentwood. Then he returned to Rochester State Hospital, serving there as a supervising psychiatrist until he entered the Army during World War 2.

After four years of service, he was discharged with the rank of major. He returned once again to the Rochester hospital and served there until his appointment as assistant director of Manhattan State Hospital in 1950.

Dr. Schneider likes to fish, golfs occasionally and was a 160 - to -170 average bowler when he was bowling regularly a few years ago.

"I go fishing," he said, "but I don't catch any fish. I see other people catching fish, but I don't get anything."

The director will make his first public appearance as a speaker next month when he takes part in Broome County Mental Health Association program on "Modern Medical Treatment of the Mentally Ill."

The meeting will start at 8 p. m., Feb. 11 in the Science Building auditorium at Harpur College.