The Pontotoc Technology Center hosted it’s third annual Mental Health and Hope Summit Thursday.

The event, which took place in the Gregory Pierce Seminar Center, aimed at raising awareness of mental health issues.

“Mental health is a passion of mine,” Registered Nurse Angela McElhannon said. “I feel like it’s so important because when our physical health or our mental health falter, the other one follows very closely. They are all connected.”

McElhannon has been an RN for over 30 years, and is the Health Coordinator and Instructor at the Pontotoc Technology Center.

“I want to be an advocate for the community,” she said. “So we can all just do a little better, and learn to be accepting, and know that mental health affects every single person. My goal is to advocate for mental health, and to remove the stigma and let people know that it’s okay to step up and say ‘I’m not okay.'”

The free event included sessions on trauma, clinical care and recovery.