Longenderfer had arrived in Oklahoma City about a year before the bombing, after he’d reached a decision about his career. He’d been practicing medicine in a rural Lancaster community, Terre Hill, PA, where his client base was predominantly Mennonite and Amish. This position, which was in dire need of a physician, fulfilled Longenderfer’s obligation to the National Health Service Corps, the organization that had partially paid his way through Hahneman medical school in Philadelphia. It took a good while, he recalls, before his famously reticent patients really trusted him.

   “I learned many lessons in anthropology, which was my major at Penn State,” he says. “It was a very different culture than what I was used to. Outside the office there was a hitching post for the horses, and always several buggies.”

   Growing up in Sunbury and after four years in the Navy, Longenderfer was the first person to attend college in his family, and graduated Penn State in 1973. He decided to go to medical school—seeing it as a secure future and, more importantly, the chance to have an impact on people’s lives. That same sentiment led him from his small, country practice to his current position as CEO and President of PinnacleHealth System, a system of four hospitals, based in Harrisburg. But the first stop after Terre Hill was Ephrata, where Longenderfer took a new job as vice president of medical affairs at Ephrata Community Hospital. After two years he accepted a position in Oklahoma City with the Sisters of Mercy.

   “I oversaw quality improvement—specifically working to better relationships between physicians, the hospital staff, and patients,” he says. “That’s where I discovered that I really enjoyed the running of a hospital and being part of an administrative team.”

   After five years as Chief Medical Officer for a system of three hospitals in Oklahoma, an opportunity presented itself and Longenderfer couldn’t resist. The CEO of PinnacleHealth System in Harrisburg was looking for a successor and Longenderfer fit the bill. The nonprofit system is comprised of four hospitals and over sixty other healthcare facilities, including doctor’s offices, rehabilitation clinics, and community health centers, and covers seven counties around Harrisburg. Under Longenderfer’s direction, the system has streamlined administration, making a more efficiently run organization that can focus directly on improved patient care.

   And much of that care is charitable—about 25 million dollars worth each year, in keeping with the nonprofit aspect of the system’s mission. Longenderfer was recently at Penn State to talk about ethics—and the ethical dilemma he (and others) faces on a regular basis.

   “Sometimes what makes good business sense is not ethical,” he points out. “If we measure our success by market share, then we are no longer true to our mission.”

   Longenderfer maintains that it is possible to do both.

   “Something we in healthcare can do is create a reimbursement system that is fair and rational,” he offers. “We need to ask hard questions about our consumption of health care and determine if we’re making the right choices for the welfare of all our citizens.”

   Longenderfer is committed to making those right choices. He recalls how the events of that fateful April day helped to strengthen his beliefs.

   “After the bombing, the outpouring of support and assistance was overwhelming,” he recalls. “Hundreds of people simply left what they were doing and came downtown to help. Everyone knew the right thing to do.”