U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is making a swing through the Southwest as part of his campaign to address America's prescription drug and opioid crisis.
Murthy will be touring the Community Bridges Central City Addiction Recovery Center in Phoenix on Monday, where he will hear from providers, community members and other advocates.
He'll tour another addiction and substance abuse center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday.
New Mexico is among the handful of states with the highest rates of death due to drug overdose.
Nationwide, deaths linked to opioids soared to more than 28,000 in 2014, the highest number on record.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 78 American die every day from an opioid overdose. Federal officials say the epidemic now kills more Americans than car accidents.
