Awareness of Freedom House Ambulance Service, historically overlooked, surged after 'The Pitt'

MedicalXpress | juin 17, 2026

After an episode of the popular TV medical drama "The Pitt" included a character from Freedom House Ambulance Service—the nation's first emergency medical service, which was staffed entirely by African Americans—awareness of these long-overlooked pioneers in prehospital care surged. That's according to a first-of-its-kind study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and published in American Journal of Health Promotion.