Mike Kern, Chief of the Division of Forrest Fire Protection at the PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, discusses the threat of wildfires in Pennsylvania, due mainly to the lack of rainfall in recent months, emphasizing the importance of fire prevention in Penn’s Woods.

Mike Kern, Chief of the Division of Forrest Fire Protection at the PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources, discusses the threat of wildfires in Pennsylvania, due mainly to the lack of rainfall in recent months, emphasizing the importance of fire prevention in Penn’s Woods.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at https://witf.org/programs/the-spark.

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from <a href="https://www.witf.org">WITF</a>, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

The Spark

When people come together and talk about really interesting topics, great questions spark better understanding and opportunities for new ideas to form. On The Spark from WITF, hosts Scott LaMar and Aniya Faulcon start the conversations about what’s happening in the world and at home. Share your ideas at <a href="https://witf.org/programs/the-spark">https://witf.org/programs/the-spark</a>.

Multiple Pa. Counties Under Drought Watch

Comedian Nurse Blake will be performing at Shippensburg University on November 22. Blake Lynch is a nurse, creator, advocate, viral sensation, and touring comedian.

Being born into a medical family, he followed suit by joining the healthcare field.

“My dad is a respiratory therapist. He's been a respiratory therapist for over 30 years. And my mom is medical device sales. And so, I had no other choice that night. Like that was my only option. I didn't consider anything else.”

His nursing journey includes roles in Surgical ICU, Live Transplant, Pulmonary Step Down, Injury Prevention, and Care Coordination. He realized he was funny when dealing with a patient while he was at work.

“I had a patient. I was telling her a joke and she went on, had a full asthma attack. And I'm like, You know what? I'm funny. Like, I'm funny. She was okay, by the way. She was fine.”

Being a comedian was never something Blake set out to do. Through comedy, he advocates for better working conditions for healthcare professionals.

“Being understaffed contributes to a lot of burnout. And nurses and nurses leave the profession at really, really high rates even after only a few years of being a nurse. Nurses also work, like I said, 12-hour shifts, right? We don't get lunches necessarily. We don't get breaks, but we still have to clock out for them. So, it looks like we got a break or a lunch. So, a lot of times, you know, your health care workers are working extended periods of time without going to the bathroom or without eating. And it just becomes really unsafe. And our health care in America is so expensive to other countries, you would think we would be able to provide, you know, higher quality care.”

Blake also insists those not in the medical field can enjoy his show as well. By telling his story, he believes anyone can relate to his experiences.

“I hope they realize that as nurses or people too, we have feelings and emotions. And if a health care worker is watching my video, I hope you feel less alone because it is a really, really hard job. And I hope that you watch the video and read the comments and realize that you're not the only one going through it. There's other people that can relate to you.”

Comedian <a href="https://www.nurseblake.com/pages/tour">Nurse Blake</a> will be performing at Shippensburg University on November 22. Blake Lynch is a nurse, creator, advocate, viral sensation, and touring comedian.
Being born into a medical family, he followed suit by joining the healthcare field.
“My dad is a respiratory therapist. He's been a respiratory therapist for over 30 years. And my mom is medical device sales. And so, I had no other choice that night. Like that was my only option. I didn't consider anything else.”
His nursing journey includes roles in Surgical ICU, Live Transplant, Pulmonary Step Down, Injury Prevention, and Care Coordination. He realized he was funny when dealing with a patient while he was at work.
“I had a patient. I was telling her a joke and she went on, had a full asthma attack. And I'm like, You know what? I'm funny. Like, I'm funny. She was okay, by the way. She was fine.”
Being a comedian was never something Blake set out to do. Through comedy, he advocates for better working conditions for healthcare professionals.
“Being understaffed contributes to a lot of burnout. And nurses and nurses leave the profession at really, really high rates even after only a few years of being a nurse. Nurses also work, like I said, 12-hour shifts, right? We don't get lunches necessarily. We don't get breaks, but we still have to clock out for them. So, it looks like we got a break or a lunch. So, a lot of times, you know, your health care workers are working extended periods of time without going to the bathroom or without eating. And it just becomes really unsafe. And our health care in America is so expensive to other countries, you would think we would be able to provide, you know, higher quality care.”
Blake also insists those not in the medical field can enjoy his show as well. By telling his story, he believes anyone can relate to his experiences.
“I hope they realize that as nurses or people too, we have feelings and emotions. And if a health care worker is watching my video, I hope you feel less alone because it is a really, really hard job. And I hope that you watch the video and read the comments and realize that you're not the only one going through it. There's other people that can relate to you.”

Comedian who left Nursing field to pursue comedy set to perform at Shippensburg University

Asia Tabb has a conversation with historian Tim Smith surrounding how the Civil War has turned Gettysburg into a tourism attraction for generations to come. 

Asia Tabb has a conversation with historian Tim Smith surrounding how the Civil War has turned Gettysburg into a tourism attraction for generations to come.

Adams County Historian Talks Civil War and Gettysburg Tourism

Now that daylight saving time ended this past weekend, it’s usually a time where people can feel a little more blue than usual. According to Dr. Ahmad Hameed, Psychiatrist at Penn State Health, it’s called seasonal depression.

“This kind of depression, which is affiliated to a particular season and generally it happens in fall and winter. And when the seasons, then one gets back to not being sad and depressed during this time. Individuals who have seasonal affective disorder, which is which is what it was previously called, have low mood, lower energy issues with focus, concentration, their irritability and changes in sleep pattern, “said Hameed.

If you notice you feel a little more depressed during the fall or winter months, then it’s important to reach out to a mental health expert to dig a little bit deeper into it. Dr. Rafat Omar, Psychologist at UPMC suggests reaching out to a therapist if you think you are struggling with seasonal depression.

“I mean, you know, as with any other depression, you know, there are things that we can do to manage it, to mitigate it, to help the person get through it. So, it's not something that necessarily is going to come and disrupt your life and you're just a passive victim to it. So, I want people to feel comfortable knowing that they are empowered to do something about it, to help alleviate it a little bit as much as they can, “said Omar.

Daylight saving time doesn’t directly cause mental health conditions, but it can intensify those who are currently battling depression or anxiety.

“Well, you know, you look at what happens when daylight savings time comes around, the lights get longer, the days get shorter, there's less sunlight. Typically, with the time of year, it gets colder out. So, you know, there's less that people are. Able to do in some regards, you know, less time, but they're able to spend outside and especially for people who enjoy being outdoors, this becomes a challenge for them. So even though it's not a direct cause. That impacted because as we know, with depression, as the depression worsens, the activity level drops. As the activity level drops, the depression worsens even more. So that sort of snowball effect, coupled with the lack of benefits that we get from the sunlight because there's fewer sunlight hours kind of combined to create the perfect storm, so to speak, for more depressive symptoms, “said Hameed.

Now that daylight saving time ended this past weekend, it’s usually a time where people can feel a little more blue than usual. According to Dr. Ahmad Hameed, Psychiatrist at Penn State Health, it’s called seasonal depression.
“This kind of depression, which is affiliated to a particular season and generally it happens in fall and winter. And when the seasons, then one gets back to not being sad and depressed during this time. Individuals who have seasonal affective disorder, which is which is what it was previously called, have low mood, lower energy issues with focus, concentration, their irritability and changes in sleep pattern, “said Hameed.
If you notice you feel a little more depressed during the fall or winter months, then it’s important to reach out to a mental health expert to dig a little bit deeper into it. Dr. Rafat Omar, Psychologist at UPMC suggests reaching out to a therapist if you think you are struggling with seasonal depression.
“I mean, you know, as with any other depression, you know, there are things that we can do to manage it, to mitigate it, to help the person get through it. So, it's not something that necessarily is going to come and disrupt your life and you're just a passive victim to it. So, I want people to feel comfortable knowing that they are empowered to do something about it, to help alleviate it a little bit as much as they can, “said Omar.
Daylight saving time doesn’t directly cause mental health conditions, but it can intensify those who are currently battling depression or anxiety.
“Well, you know, you look at what happens when daylight savings time comes around, the lights get longer, the days get shorter, there's less sunlight. Typically, with the time of year, it gets colder out. So, you know, there's less that people are. Able to do in some regards, you know, less time, but they're able to spend outside and especially for people who enjoy being outdoors, this becomes a challenge for them. So even though it's not a direct cause. That impacted because as we know, with depression, as the depression worsens, the activity level drops. As the activity level drops, the depression worsens even more. So that sort of snowball effect, coupled with the lack of benefits that we get from the sunlight because there's fewer sunlight hours kind of combined to create the perfect storm, so to speak, for more depressive symptoms, “said Hameed.

Multiple Pa. Counties Under Drought Watch

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