Recognizing Freedom House Ambulance Service

Floor Speech

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Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today, on the last day of Black History Month, in recognition of the Freedom House Ambulance Service, a group of Black men and women from Pittsburgh who, over 50 years ago, revolutionized emergency medical services.

They were the first to perform tourniquets for uncontrolled bleeding, resuscitation techniques for heart attacks, and to treat breathing problems all en route.

These folks were not doctors or nurses. They were from the poorest, Blackest areas of Pittsburgh. They were overlooked in society still trying, and mostly failing, to deliver on the promise of the Civil Rights Act, yet they set the standard for how medical professionals handle emergency care today while filling the voids of institutions that were failing us.

For the first time, Black folks in Pittsburgh got the medical care we needed, until they were absorbed by the city government when Black neighborhoods started getting better treatment than their rich, White counterparts who refused their services.

Freedom House Ambulance Service saved countless lives in Pittsburgh's most underserved neighborhoods and their legacy has saved countless lives across the country. Today, I am proud to introduce a resolution honoring them.

As we close out Black History Month, let us not forget the Black historymakers who, despite barriers, made this country a better place.

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