Honorable but Broken Documentary

Honorable but Broken is a gritty tribute to the EMS professionals who come to our aid in our worst moments. Although they respond to all medical emergencies and provide a myriad of other transport services, from nursing homes to hospitals, for example, EMS are only reimbursed if they transport patients to a hospital. They are underpaid, underappreciated and largely non-unionized. Coupled with tremendous physical and psychological trauma inherent to the job, poverty wages have triggered a crippling workforce shortage. This, in turn, affects treatment and could have life or death consequences for patients. 

The film puts a human face on this crisis, centering the story on a young EMT named John Mondello who committed suicide largely due to job-related PTSD, and explains how his experiences are far from unique. It looks at the history of modern EMS and how the reimbursement model is irrelevant to today’s reality. Interviews with EMTs and paramedics highlight the pros and cons of working in EMS. New York is analyzed as an example of a very siloed and dysfunctional system but it is easy to draw parallels with other states and the National Association of EMTs, hospital physicians and politicians offer their ideas for solving this crisis. 

Honorable but Broken has won several film festival awards, was screened in Congress in November 2023 and is being used as an advocacy tool for EMS agencies and organizations across the country seeking to educate their state legislators.