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Purple Wave Festival on September 16 Celebrates National Recovery Month

Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Purple Wave Festival

(Washington, DC) —The District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and DC Recovery Advisory Council (DCRAC) are hosting the 2nd Purple Wave Festival: Strengthening Families and Communities, on Saturday, September 16, from 10 am to 3 pm at 50 O Street, NE, on the corner of North Capitol and New York Avenues. The Purple Wave Festival celebrates National Recovery Month to increase awareness of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate the people who recover.

New this year is a Let Help In Concert featuring Go-Go legend EU FT Sugar Bear, R&B songstress Elle Varner and other artists emceed by activist and author Tony Lewis Jr.  A community panel discussion about “Black Men and Mental Health: Dispelling the Stigma” will address stereotypes and myths that may keep people from getting the help they need and promote services available through DBH. 

“The Purple Wave Festival is a great opportunity to publicly celebrate personal stories of lives transformed by recovery,” said Tanya A. Royster, MD, Director of the Department of Behavioral Health. “We are spreading the message that treatment works and with the right services and supports, recovery is the expectation.  We know that people can and do overcome these diseases and live to their fullest potential and contribute to thriving communities.”

The Purple Wave Festival includes a new and improved Wellness Village where guests can get free health care information from more than 60 community-based organizations and behavioral health providers. 

Quick Facts:

  • 1 in 5 adults—43.8 million, or 18.5%—experiences mental illness in a given year.
  • 1 in 7 adults will face addiction.
  • Half of the 20.2 million adults who experience a substance use disorder also struggle with a mental illness at the same time.
  • Half of all lifetime mental illnesses begins by age 14.
  • Despite treatment that is effective and easy to get, there are long delays—sometimes decades—between the first appearance of symptoms and when people get help.

The Department of Behavioral Health provides a range of mental health and substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery services including emergency crisis services.

To enroll in treatment or for more information, call the Department’s 24 hour Access Helpline at 1-888-7WE-HELP (1-888-793-4357).

National Recovery Month is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the US Department of Health and Human Services. The observance, raises awareness of mental and substance use disorders, celebrates individuals in long-term recovery, and acknowledges the work of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. For more information about Recovery Month, go to www.recoverymonth.gov