Dedham wants the whole town dressed in purple on Wednesday, Sept. 30, to close out National Recovery Month.

The Town of Dedham announced the initiative on Monday, Sept. 28, inviting residents, businesses, schools and town employees to take part. People who wear purple can email photos to [email protected] to be featured on the town's website and social media channels.

Purple is the color associated with recovery and hope, according to the town's announcement.

The Dedham Health Department described the effort in its September newsletter as a community-wide push to reduce stigma and signal that recovery resources are available. Board of Health Chair Bernadette Chirokas, Vice-Chair Emma Reidy and Member Jessica Paulus signed the newsletter.

The wear-purple day caps a month of local programming. The Health Department hosted a free drop-in naloxone training on Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Ames Senior Center, 450 Washington St.

Dedham has also partnered with Riverside Community Care's Connect2Recovery program through the NC-8 Coalition. The program offers free recovery coaching to residents in recovery or considering it, regardless of insurance status. Opioid Abatement Funds cover the cost. Riverside serves seven NC-8 communities: Dedham, Canton, Milton, Norwood, Westwood, Walpole and Wellesley.

Neighboring Needham has pursued parallel efforts. The town placed free anonymous Narcan kits at locations across town earlier in September.

Nationally, more than 50 million American adults consider themselves in recovery from substance use or mental health problems, according to a federal survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA established National Recovery Month in 1989. It runs every September.

Residents seeking help at any time can call or text the Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) at 833-773-2445 or visit Masshelpline.com. The line is free, available around the clock in more than 200 languages and does not require insurance.

The Dedham Organization for Substance Awareness, which hosts outreach events at the Dedham Public Library, posts updates on Instagram at @dedhamcoalition. Photos for the Sept. 30 wear-purple day go to [email protected].