AAMS Shines a Spotlight on Industry Excellence: 2024 Community Award Winners Revealed

Press Release: November 13, 2024
Contact: Blair Beggan, VP, Communications, bbeggan@aams.org


Salt Lake City, UT – On Tuesday, November 5, the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) honored the best and brightest in emergency medical transport through a variety of notable international awards. The 2024 Community Awards were presented at the annual Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) in Salt Lake City, Utah during the AMTC Awards Celebration, sponsored by Golden Hour.  AAMS is pleased to announce this year's winners: 

Program of the Year, sponsored by Airbus
Recognizes an emergency medical transport service that has demonstrated a superior level of patient care, management prowess, high quality leadership through visionary and innovative approaches, customer service, safety consciousness, marketing ingenuity, community service, and a commitment to the medical transport community.

Erlanger LIFE FORCE
Chattanooga, TN

Marriott-Carlson Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Bell
Recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the overall enhancement, development, leadership or promotion of the emergency medical transport community and has been actively involved or participated in an emergency medical transport organization.

Richard Orr, MD (Retired)
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh/UPMC

Jim Charlson Safety Award
Recognizes an entity (team, organization, individual) who has made significant contributions to the overall enhancement, development, or promotion of safety within the air and critical care ground transport community.

Donna York
Golden Hour, a ZOLL Company

Neonatal/Pediatric Transport Award of Excellence, sponsored by Airborne
Recognizes a team that has made an outstanding contribution to a neonatal/ pediatric transport service in any of the following areas: enhancing safety, education, leadership, patient advocacy by developing or promoting the improvement of patient care in the medical transport community.

Children's Health Neonatal/Pediatric Transport of Dallas, Texas

Transport Mechanic Award of Excellence, sponsored by Leonardo
Recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the safe operation of medical transport vehicles or the improvement of safe maintenance procedures of medical transport vehicles.

Dave Esteves
Haiti Air Ambulance

AAMS Excellence in Transport Leadership Award 
Recognizes an air and ground critical care transport leader who has demonstrated a superior level of knowledge and management prowess, high-quality leadership through visionary and innovative approaches, customer service, safety consciousness, marketing ingenuity, community service, and commitment to the emergency medical community as a whole.

William Cyr
LifeFlight of Maine

AAMS President's Award
Presented to the first industry leader to graduate from all three of AAMS’ leadership schools, MTLI, SMTA, and LIFT.

Michael Weimer
Life Flight Network

AAMS Community Impact Award
Recognizes outstanding contribution to transport medicine which resulted in expanded access, increased health care equity, preserved or broadened services, improved medical transport solvency, strengthened business continuity, enhanced patient advocacy, or improved a foundational element of medical transport that gives hope for a brighter future.

American Ambulance Association
Association of Critical Care Transport
Air Medical Operators Association
International Association of Fire Chiefs
International Association of Fire Fighters
National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians
Vertical Aviation International 

AAMS Making a Difference Award
Recognizes an individual or entity that best demonstrates the value of medical transport or excellence in medical patient outcomes.

REMSA Care Flight
Ken Goodreau, Jeff Horonz, and Jessica Leising

AAMS Rising Spirit Award 
Presented to a team or individual that has demonstrated the positive side of what healthcare and medical transport is about with a specific program or feature aimed at taking care of our people, improving resilience, raising spirits, and finding the good.

Intermountain Health
Dr. Nicholas Carr, Karen Fischer, Jennifer Hunt, and Lori McBride 

Congratulations to all the 2024 Community Award Honorees! 

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Established in 1980, the Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) is an international trade association headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area. AAMS is a non-profit 501C (6) trade association that represents and advocates on behalf of the critical care transport industry to enhance their ability to deliver quality, safe, and effective medical care and medical transportation for every patient in-need.