Greenwood Village, CO, Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Air Methods, the nation’s leading emergency air medical service provider, announced Dr. Ira Blumen as the inaugural winner of the newly-created Roy Morgan Legacy Award. The announcement was made on Oct. 27 during a celebration luncheon at the Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) in Fort Worth, TX. Blumen serves as the medical director for the University of Chicago Aeromedical Network (UCAN).

Air Methods established the Roy Morgan Legacy Award to recognize professionals in the air medical field who represent the values and character of Air Methods’ founder. Nominees from Air Methods’ partner programs were required to mirror the attributes Morgan was known for. He did not lie or exaggerate, even if telling the truth meant losing business. He put safety and patient care above all else. He respected everyone, from the janitors to the CEOs of major hospitals, and treated everyone with kindness. He went out of his way to help people and mentored many both within Air Methods and outside of the company.

“For those who knew Roy, he’s more than a name in our history. He set a standard for how we care for patients, how we treat each other, and how we show up for the communities and partners we serve,” said Betsy Casanave, senior vice president of field operations and strategic partnerships with Air Methods. “For Air Methods, this award is a commitment. It recognizes the people and partners who embody what Roy stood for: safety, service, integrity, commitment to the mission.”

Those standards were found in Blumen. Several members of his family and the UCAN crew, including UCAN Assistant Medical Director Michael McCartin who nominated him, made the trip to Fort Worth to be with Blumen as he received the award.

“Ira has spent more than four decades helping shape modern air medical transport through patient care, physician leadership, education, and helicopter EMS safety,” wrote McCartin in his nomination. “Ira’s goal has always been delivering the right patient to the right place, by the right team, in the safest way possible. He consistently returns to the same question, ‘What is the safest way to provide the best care for this patient?’ That philosophy has shaped UCAN for nearly four decades. It is reflected in the program’s culture, its operational practices, and its reputation for putting patients and crews ahead of expediency.”

The award was presented at Air Methods’ Partner Appreciation Luncheon with more than 200 guests in attendance. Both Morgan, who passed away in 2024, and Blumen were known by many in the room, making the presentation particularly meaningful. Blumen received three standing ovations as guests honored his contribution to the air medical industry and his embodiment of the values Morgan demonstrated throughout his life.

“This is quite the honor. Roy was a champion in the industry,” said Blumen. “Once Air Methods took over the UCAN contract and I got involved with safety, I got the opportunity to meet with him. I was invited to present my safety data at one of the board meetings, and I sat and talked with him. He was an amazing person. It was very clear that he listened to people, and I really respected that.”

The award selection committee chose Blumen with unanimous agreement. His stellar reputation for honesty and integrity, his work in developing future leaders, the loyalty garnered among his crew, and his tireless work to promote safety standards aligned with the values the award was designed to honor.

“Ira’s got a very unique focus on patient and crew safety,” said Air Methods CEO Rob Hamilton. “He’s brought that focus to so many of us throughout the industry, and I think that is one of the reasons he’s such a phenomenal inaugural Roy Morgan Legacy Award winner.”

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Dianne Daniels
Air Methods
720-607-4091
media@airmethods.com

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