More than 2 million health care practitioners in Massachusetts and across the country will get a letter in the next few days from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

In the letter, Murthy is asking practitioners to help curb the widening crisis of opioid abuse — he says clinicians are crucial in this fight.

Monday afternoon, WBUR's All Things Considered spoke with Murthy, who said other countries also have problems with abuse — but it's worse in America.