Medical Innovation | Freedom House Ambulance
Support Materials
Background of Freedom House Ambulance
Discussion Questions
- What was the “big black wagon”?
- What was the problem with the police officers method of transporting sick patients to the hospital?
- Who Phil Hallen? Why was he important to the creation of Freedom House Ambulance?
- Who was “the father of CPR”?
- What kind of experiments did he conduct to create the CPR method?
About
The city of Pittsburgh is very well known for several things but many do not know that some of the nations’ best medical innovations were developed by those who dedicated their time to the advancement of the Freedom House Ambulance. Freedom House was initially conceived to respond to the needs of Pittsburgh’s African American community who often times couldn’t rely on police and fire departments during an emergency. Their groundbreaking work became the basis for all paramedics training in the country.
Credits
Funding made possible by:
UPMC
Mobile Health Resources/EMSST
Page, Wolfberg & Wirth LLC
Center for Emergency Medicine/ STAT MedEvac
Photographs, Images, Film, & Video:
The Charles “Teenie” Harris Archive – Carnegie Museum of Art
Maurice Falk Medical Fund Archives
Nancy L. Caroline Papers. Schlesinger Library, Harvard Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
John Moon
National EMS Museum
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
Heinz History Center
Freedom House Ambulance service first day – Gift of Virginia “Ginny” Caligiuri
WPXI Channel 11
National Archives
Library of Congress
Internet Archive
Archives and Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Bureau of Emergency Medical Services
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Peter Safar Papers, 1950-2003, UA.90.F102, University Archives, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Mayor’s office, City of Pittsburgh
Photos Courtesy of:
Philip Hallen
Mitchell J. Brown
George McCary III
Brenda Tate
Amera Gilchrist
Kim El
Sala Udin
Standards
History
8.1 Historical Analysis and Skills Development. Apply chronological thinking and historical interpretation to understand events like the rise of Freedom House and its impact on EMS.
8.2 Pennsylvania History. Evaluate how social, political, and economic changes (e.g., urban renewal, racial equity) shaped communities in Pittsburgh.
8.3 U.S. History. Analyze civil rights movements and local initiatives that influenced national health care systems.
Civics & Government
5.1 Principles and Documents of Government. Examine how government decisions affected community health and civil rights.
5.2 Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship. Discuss civic engagement and barriers faced by marginalized groups in accessing emergency medical care.
Geography & Economics
7.3 Human Characteristics of Places and Regions. Explore demographic and cultural changes in Pittsburgh’s Hill District during urban renewal.
6.4 Economic Systems. Analyze how economic policies and redevelopment impacted minority communities.
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