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Addiction specialists in Rochester raise concerns about rise in overdoses

Outreach workers in Rochester sound alarm on spike in overdoses
Outreach workers in Rochester sound alarm on spike in overdoses 01:42

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Candles flicker on a quiet Rochester street — the flames are a reminder of heartbreak and a crisis that continues to grow.

Mariah Southwick says her friends, Rachel Kretchmer and Michael Shulze, died one week ago after buying what they thought was cocaine — instead, it was fentanyl-laced cocaine.

The Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office hasn't confirmed drugs were involved.

"A lot of times people trust the people they are getting things from, but you can't trust anybody anymore," Southwick said. "It happened to Rachel and Mike they didn't think it was going to happen to them."

Just one day prior, Rochester police responded to two suspected overdoses just a couple of hours apart, where a 52-year-old man died and a 19-year-old woman needed to be revived.

"We have seen what appears to be a spike," Lt. Frank Ohm said.

It's a troubling surge for police after years of progress. The city cut overdoses by more than half in two years.

"We have seen fentanyl in basically every kind of drug available on the street," Ohm said.

But now, outreach workers say things are getting worse and more resources are needed.

Addiction specialists like Caitlyn Caskey with Recovery is Happening are sounding the alarm — again.

"There are drug dealers out there that are looking to just make money and not keep people alive," Caskey said.

Ohm said there's a coordinated effort that's ongoing to save lives, but he's encouraging everyone to only take drugs prescribed to them by a doctor.

"That's why we have to fight as hard as we can to go after these people peddling those drugs in our community literally killing members of our community," he said.

For now, Caskey is stressing the importance of Narcan training for everyone.

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