The Black pioneers of modern emergency medicine
In the 60s John Moon and a group of African American men from a deprived district of Pittsburgh became the first modern paramedics. They set the standard for all who’ve followed.
In the late 60s a small group of Black men from a deprived district of Pittsburgh did something remarkable, they smashed through the racial barrier to become the first modern paramedics. They were called Freedom House Ambulance Service. The team was brought together by a visionary Austrian immigrant doctor and a local social studies teacher who trained them up to deliver medical care, in situ, with a vehicle well-equipped for medical purposes. This team would go on to write the training manual still used by paramedics around the world. When John Moon first saw them in action and the respect they commanded from a room full of doctors he knew he needed to join their ranks.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Andrea Kennedy
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
This programme was first broadcast on 15th May 2023.
(Photo: John Moon and colleagues with their ambulance Credit: Caliguiri and Curto Family Papers, Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center)
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