Rep. Summer Lee Introduces Congressional Gold Medal to Honor Freedom House Ambulance Service

Photos (Dropbox) | Bill Text (PDF)

PITTSBURGH, PA – FEBRUARY 20, 2026 — Today during Black History Month, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12), along with Congressman Mike Kelly (PA-16) and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06), introduced bipartisan legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal – one of the highest civilian honors – to Freedom House Ambulance Service in recognition of its dedicated service to the Pittsburgh community and contributions to the field of emergency medical services. Rep. Lee announced the Freedom House Ambulance Service Congressional Gold Medal Act at a press conference at the Thelma Lovette YMCA alongside former Freedom House members, physicians, and local elected officials. 

Founded in 1967 in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Freedom House Ambulance Service was the nation’s first professionally staffed ambulance service and the first to train paramedics beyond basic first aid. At a time when emergency care was largely delegated to police and funeral homes and often inaccessible, Freedom House filled the gap and set a new national model—one that would ultimately shape the modern emergency medical services (EMS) system used across the country today.

“Freedom House Ambulance Service transformed how America responds to medical emergencies, saving countless lives for years on end. It’s only right our very own Pittsburgh-based lifesavers be recognized and honored for their groundbreaking legacy,” said Rep. Lee. “Freedom House members were not originally doctors or nurses trained in elite institutions – they were from the poorest, Blackest areas of Pittsburgh and still shaped modern EMS systems nationwide. I am honored to introduce a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize and honor their lasting contributions to Pittsburgh and the country.”

“The Freedom House Ambulance Service set the standard for emergency medical services in the Pittsburgh area. Their relationships within the community allowed them to prioritize patient care in a way that we hadn’t seen previously. This honor is just one way we can recognize their historic work in our region,” said Rep. Mike Kelly

“The Freedom House Ambulance Service transformed the standard of how our nation delivers emergency services, saving countless lives. They were the first in the country with paramedics trained beyond basic first aid, performing life-saving treatments like tourniquets for uncontrolled bleeding, resuscitation for heart attacks, and care for breathing emergencies while en route. I’m proud to support this resolution recognizing Freedom House with the Congressional Gold Medal and honoring their legacy and continued impact,” said Rep. Dingell.

 Staffed primarily by Black residents from Pittsburgh’s Hill District, Freedom House provided high-quality emergency care while creating pathways to professional careers in medicine and public safety. Its innovative training program, developed in partnership with physicians at the University of Pittsburgh, introduced lifesaving techniques that are now standard EMS practice nationwide.

Although the service was unjustly defunded and disbanded in the mid-1970s due to political and racial tensions, its legacy endures. Freedom House alumni went on to become leaders in EMS, firefighting, law enforcement, and healthcare, and its influence continues to be recognized by historians, medical professionals, and civil rights advocates.

"The Legacy of Freedom House is a clear example of lessons in Perseverance, Resiliency, Determination by a group of Creative Change Makers who weathered setbacks, disappointments, frustrations and broken promises to create a prehospital care system utilized worldwide,” said Chief John Moon, former Freedom House emergency medical technician and retired Assistant Chief of Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Service.

“The extraordinary global impact of Freedom House is truly beyond measure,” said Carlene L. Thornton, EdD, NRP, Paramedicine Program Director; Educational Content Director; and Vice President, Board of Directors, National Association of EMS Educators. “It is a profound honor to serve on the task force working to ensure that their trailblazing service, dedication, compassion, and enduring legacy are forever etched into the fabric of our nation’s history.”

“Freedom House represents courage, service, and community leadership at a time when standing up came with real risk. Leading the task force for the Congressional Gold Medal is about ensuring that this extraordinary legacy is formally recognized as part of our national story,” said Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, MD, MPH. FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine and Associate Vice Chair of Engagement, Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; EMS Medical Director (Medical Command Physician MD- 22), UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

The Freedom House Ambulance Service Congressional Gold Medal Act would honor the members of Freedom House Ambulance Service collectively for their historic achievements, their service to the public, and their lasting impact on emergency medicine in the United States. 

In addition to Reps. Lee, Kelly, and Dingell, the legislation is co-sponsored by Reps. Shontel Brown, Angie Craig, Danny Davis, Madeleine Dean, Chris Deluzio, Dwight Evans, Maxwell Frost, Brian Fitzpatrick, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Stephen Lynch, Elenor Holmes Norton, Chris Pappas, Mary Gay Scanlon, Glen Thompson, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

In February 2024, Rep. Lee introduced a resolution honoring Freedom House during Black History Month. In March 2024, Rep. Lee announced that Chief John Moon, Former Freedom House EMT and retired Assistant Chief Pittsburgh Emergency Medical Service, would be her guest for President Biden's State of the Union address. 

For photos from the press conference, click here. For a copy of the bill text, click here.

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, she has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 3,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.