[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H755]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING FREEDOM HOUSE AMBULANCE SERVICE

  (Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  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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