Exhibit 99.1


                     Ivan R. Sabel Elected Beverly Director

    FORT SMITH, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 2004--Beverly
Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: BEV) today announced that Ivan R. Sabel has
been elected to fill a vacant seat on the company's board of
directors.
    Sabel, 59 is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of
Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. (NYSE: HGR), a leading provider of
orthotic and prosthetic patient-care services. Hanger owns and
operates approximately 600 patient-care centers in 44 states and the
District of Columbia, with more than 3,200 employees.
    Before joining Hanger Orthopedic Group, Sabel was founder, owner
and president of Capital Orthopedics, Inc. He is a Certified
Prosthetist and Orthotist (CPO) and a former clinical instructor in
orthopedics at the Georgetown University Medical School in Washington,
D.C., and at New York University.
    Sabel earned a Bachelor of Science degree in orthotics and
prosthetics from New York University. He is a current member of the
Government Relations Committee and the U.S. Veterans Administration
Affairs Committee of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association
(AOPA) and has coauthored numerous studies in the prosthetic field in
conjunction with the National Institutes of Health.
    Beverly Enterprises, Inc. and its operating subsidiaries are
leading providers of healthcare services to the elderly in the United
States. They operate 372 skilled nursing facilities, as well as 20
assisted living centers, and 23 hospice and home care centers. Through
AEGIS Therapies, they also offer rehabilitative services on a contract
basis to nursing facilities operated by other care providers.


    CONTACT: Beverly Enterprises Inc., Fort Smith
             Investor Contact:
             James M. Griffith, 479-201-5514
             or
             News Media Contact:
             Blair C. Jackson, 479-201-5263
             www.beverlycares.com