CERTIFICATIONS
Exhibit 31.1
I, Daniel P. McCartney, Chief Executive Officer, certify that:
    1.  I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Healthcare
        Services Group, Inc.;
    2.  Based on my knowledge, this annual report does not contain any
        untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a
        material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light
        of the circumstances under which such statements were made,
        not misleading with respect to the periods covered by this
        annual report;
    3.  Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
        financial information included in this annual report, fairly
        present in all material respects the financial condition,
        results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of,
        and for, the periods presented in this annual report;
    4.  The registrants other certifying officer and I are responsible
        for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
        procedures ( as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-14 and
        15d-14) for the registrant and have;
         a)    designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
               disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
               supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
               registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made
               known to us by others within those entities, particularly during
               the period in which this annual report is being prepared;
         b)    evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure
               controls and procedures and presented in this annual report our
               conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls
               and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this
               report based on such evaluation and;
         c)    disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal
               control over financial reporting that occurred during the
               registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially
               affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
               registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
    5.  The registrant's other certifying officer and I have
        disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation, to the
        registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the
        registrant's Board of Directors.
         a)    all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
               design or operation of internal control over financial reporting
               which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's
               ability to record, process, summarize and report financial
               information; and
         b)    any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
               other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's
               internal control over financial reporting

Date: February 26, 2004
                                                      /s/ Daniel P. McCartney
                                                      -----------------------
                                                      Daniel P. McCartney
                                                      Chief Executive Officer


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