Grand View Hospital - Annual Reports

A Family's Commitment and Service to Grand View Hospital Spans Three Generations

In 2004, as Grand View embarks on the largest Master Facilities Plan in its history, it is appropriate to look back on some of the other milestones in the hospital’s growth. In 1958, for instance, plans were being developed for a new hospital wing, at that time the largest addition in Grand View’s 45-year history. The new wing would feature 75 new patient beds, new operating rooms, and expanded space for the maternity unit and laboratory departments.

1958 was a milestone for another reason. In that year, Horace W. Longacre accepted an invitation to join the Board of Trustees of Grand View Hospital, thus beginning a legacy of family service that has remained strong across three generations.

When Mr. Longacre joined the Board, concerns were voiced as to whether the expense of expansion would place the hospital’s financial stability in jeopardy. “There was concern among the Trustees over whether the expansion was the right thing to do, especially in terms of incurring debt,” Mr. Longacre remembers. Ultimately, the Trustees of 1958 concluded that the rewards of expansion outweighed any risks, and that Grand View must continue to grow in order to serve the needs of the community.

Many people know Horace Longacre as the founder and patriarch of the Horace W. Longacre Poultry Company, which he formed with his wife Elizabeth in 1943. Like many businesses in Grand View’s service area, the Longacres’ was a family concern. By age 10, Horace and Elizabeth’s son Ken was already helping in the farm markets in Philadelphia.

Ken Longacre credits the experience of growing up in the family business with influencing many aspects of his life. For one thing, when Ken was asked to join the Grand View Hospital Board of Trustees in 1979, he didn’t hesitate to follow in his father’s footsteps. Horace was active on the Board for 17 years and continues to serve as an Emeritus Trustee. Ken is approaching 25 years as a Trustee, and has served as Chairman of both the Hospital and Grand View Health Foundation boards. Both Horace and Ken say the greatest reward of their service to Grand View Hospital has been seeing the great strides achieved in the capabilities and capacity the hospital can offer.

In 1990, Ken acquired Farm & Home Oil Company as a new venture. On any given day, you might find Horace and Ken in their offices but day-to-day operations now fall to Ken’s children, Kenneth Longacre Jr., Richard Longacre, Donna Weaver and Beth Anders. “I always found satisfaction in growing our business and now I take great joy in seeing my children manage the company,” Ken says.

In 2004, as the Master Facilities Plan took final form, Ken and his fellow Trustees found themselves contemplating the same issues his father did in 1958. As did the earlier generation of Trustees, today’s leadership came to the firm determination that Grand View must continue to grow and continue to enhance quality of care. As Ken says, “Technology is expensive but look what it can do!”

An $8 million capital campaign, called Expanding The Vision, will help make this expansion and new technology possible. To help launch the campaign, Farm and Home Oil Company has made a gift to name the Women’s Center at the new Outpatient Center at Harleysville. In making the donation, Donna Weaver said, “We feel a real responsibility to carry on the family tradition of community investment.”

The personal commitment and generous support provided by Horace and Ken Longacre have been instrumental in Grand View’s growth and success. We thank them for that and for inspiring the next generation of community leaders.

Expanding The Vision Campaign
Investing in the Community's Good Health

The Grand View Health Foundation has undertaken the Expanding The Vision campaign in order to raise $8 million toward the $56 million cost of the Master Facilities Plan. Private funds raised through this campaign will maintain and build on Grand View’s strengths, save on financing costs and carry on Grand View Hospital’s history of fiscally responsible achievement and independence that has benefited the entire community. More than $5 million has been raised to date.

Throughout its 90-year history, the leadership of Grand View Hospital has transformed and adapted the hospital to address profound changes in the healthcare landscape. The Master Facilities Plan has come about in response to the tremendous growth in our service area and significant changes in health care technology. When completed, it will result in improved capacity in critical areas like emergency, maternity, acute care beds and outpatient services.

When you support Grand View Hospital, your gift stays in the community, helping people in Upper Bucks and Northeastern Montgomery Counties. Our vision is to preserve Grand View as the premier institution of its kind in the region. Your generous support will help ensure the future health of this community and the financial health of Grand View Hospital, your community hospital.

For more information about how you can support the Expanding The Vision campaign, please contact David L. Alderfer, CFRE, Grand View Health Foundation, 700 Lawn Avenue, Sellersville, PA 18960, 215-453-GIFT (4438).