Latest news with #Heimsath
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Otago Daily Times
Hundreds of blood samples mislaid by courier company: union
A courier company has twice mislaid hundreds of blood samples, after Auckland's only community laboratory began sending them to Wellington to be processed, according to the union representing lab workers, which has just confirmed further strike action. Awanui Labs - which contracts to Health NZ - has been sending some blood tests to Wellington since a machine processing immunology samples in its Auckland facility broke down in February. Awanui chief operations officer Nick Champness confirmed some blood test samples were "delayed in transit" - but all samples had been located and no patients had to be re-tested. "In early April, one shipment was delayed by a few hours to arrive at the Wellington laboratory. All samples were processed, and patients received their results within the expected timeframes. "The second delayed shipment occurred during the Anzac long-weekend. We were aware of the issue when the shipment did not show up at its expected arrival time and our team were immediately in contact with the courier provider. "The shipment was relocated, however due to the time in transit, these samples were no longer suitable for testing and were re-prepared using the samples retained for short period in Auckland and as a result no patients were required to return for a second blood collection." 'A cost-cutting exercise' APEX union associate advocate Sam Heimsath said it was "not the first time" that Awanui had resorted to sending samples to other centres for testing. The company was actually proposing to make this a permanent arrangement, which would mean the loss of 11 jobs in Auckland, "Over a number of years, Awanui and other corporate lab providers have attempted to consolidate some of their services from rural laboratories into the main centres. "That's a cost-cutting exercise for the most part - it means they don't have to retain as many staff. "But it comes at a time when because of this 30% gap in laboratory workers' wages [compared with those working in Health NZ-owned labs], the ability for these employers to recruit and retain staff to allow these labs to take on more work is almost untenable." It was patients who ended up paying the price of cost-cutting, Heimsath said. "It's not just the breaking down of machines and the delays to samples. It's about the risk ultimately to patients." APEX, which represents Awanui's lab workers, tonight announced rolling strikes from May 24 to June 4. Heimsath said 500 workers will be taking part across the country. APEX lab scientists and technicians - who went on strike in March - have yet to resolve their long-running pay dispute with Awanui. Awanui Labs has previously said funding from Health NZ was not enough to bridge the gap created by pay equity settlements in 2023, which bumped wages for lab technicians in the public sector. Heimsath said this afternoon that Apex members had voted today to issue Awanui Labs a further 27 notices of strike action. "These will be from May 29 to June 4, but they will be rolling strikes, so the intention is, if it's voted for by members, we will continue to add weeks onto that. And we are talking over 500 laboratory workers across almost the whole country, from Northland to Southland." Heimsath said workers will still cover essential services, but will be withdrawing parts of their labour to limit services. 'Common practice' Champness acknowledged that patients and providers relied on timely and accurate results, but they could be assured that Awanui's "number one priority" was caring for patients. The samples being sent to Wellington were "non-urgent community-based immunology tests". "Transferring samples throughout the country within our laboratory network and to other providers is common practice in New Zealand and globally, in-particular for non-urgent testing. Our laboratories follow specific criteria on safe and timely sample transfer and these processes are independently audited for compliance." In the event that Wellington became "a longer-term solution" for North Island community immunology testing, Awanui would increase staff numbers in this laboratory and use automation technology to boost capacity. "However, the proposal is still out for consultation and no final decisions had been made." The company was "actively and constructively engaged in discussions with Health NZ" over the funding gap, Champnes said. Health NZ spokesperson Kate Dowson said the agency was aware of Awanui's "contingency solution". "We have worked with Awanui to ensure the change has minimal impact on referrers across the Northern region. The transfer of samples to Wellington for processing has had no impact on the turnaround time of patient results." Awanui had confirmed that no patients needed to be re-tested "due to delays by their sub-contracted courier provider during a recent public holiday", she said. "Awanui had mitigation plans in place to ensure samples were resent and results reported within the expected timeframe." Urgent immunology samples - such as for measles - were processed by LabPlus, which was operated by Auckland City Hospital. Awanui had not told Health NZ about its internal proposal to review the immunology department in Auckland. "We understand that a proposal is currently being consulted on, and we look forward to working with Awanui on medium-term solutions to address their instrumentation and staffing constraints. Health NZ expects to be consulted on any permanent changes to the service." Regarding funding, Dowson said Health NZ was "in regular dialogue with Awanui regarding cost pressures and sustainability". "The agreement is reviewed in line with the contractual requirements."
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin real estate guru Charles Heimsath, 'consummate professional,' dies at 74
Charles Heimsath was the go-to guy for all things real estate in the Austin region. Developers, builders, city leaders, urban planners, civic groups, journalists, lenders, landowners and others all relied on his vast expertise, trusted data and keen insights gleaned from decades of tracking the area's residential and commercial real estate markets. Those included the housing, retail, hotel and office sectors, and many waves of mixed-use and high-rise development, including downtown Austin's building boom during the past 25 years. Heimsath, president of Austin-based real estate research firm Capitol Market Research, died March 10. He was 74. His service is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 3003 Northland Drive. Widely respected for his market knowledge, Heimsath also leaves a legacy in the civic realm: He gave generously of his time to organizations including the Downtown Austin Alliance, the Urban Land Institute and city task forces. He was a board member of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority for years. "Charles loved Austin and was always willing to share his time and expertise to help Austin address challenges and problems that our region faced," said longtime friend and client Terry Mitchell, president of Austin-based Momark Development LLC. "He served on countless committees addressing Central Texas issues. He was always willing to give time to help Austin be better." More: Is the Austin home market crashing? David Armbrust, a prominent Austin land use attorney, said that Heimsath's analysis of real estate trends and the economy "was always spot on." "Charles was a guy everyone in the real estate industry listened to," Armbrust said. "When Charles spoke, all eyes and ears took in every word and number that came from his computer." More: Soaring rents, surging demand make for 'unprecedented' times in Austin's apartment market Heimsath had been battling cancer for some time, but he was declared "cancer free" in January, Mitchell said. "We all thought he had turned the corner," Mitchell said. "He had had a stem cell transplant that was going well, but he was susceptible to disease as his body had to become strong again." Heimsath developed pneumonia and went into MD Anderson Cancer Center, where doctors think he ultimately succumbed to a heart attack, Mitchell said. Heimsath was a man of "impeccable" character, Mitchell added. "He would not lie to anyone or mislead anyone," he said. "Charles was a person who I always knew would be completely honest with me — a person I could trust to say what I needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear." While on the board of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, Heimsath "quickly became the 'numbers guy,'" Armbrust said. "His questions and comments were always excellent and usually very insightful. I learned a lot from Charles as he analyzed reports, budgets and presentations regarding multimillion dollar highway projects," Armbrust said. Armbrust said he ran into Heimsath about a month ago in a shoe store: "He was very excited about getting back in action after having spent many weeks in the hospital because of cancer. He was happy and proud that he had survived it, but I am sure it took a toll on him." One of Heimsath's many clients was Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group, one of the Austin region's most prolific developers with a long list of successful, high-profile projects. 'My colleagues and I were very sad to hear of Charles's passing," said Chad Marsh, a managing principal with Endeavor. "He was a very kind person, a consummate professional and highly respected within the industry. He will be missed by everyone that knew him." Heimsath attended the University of Texas, graduating in 1976 with a Master of Science in community and regional planning. He also held key roles at the Rice Center in Houston, and at an Austin appraisal firm, R. Robinson & Associates Inc. Carl Stuart, whose weekly radio call-in show "Money Talk" has been broadcast locally for three decades, said he and Heimsath were friends for 40 years. "We played tennis throughout our friendship. Naturally, we would talk about the real estate and financial markets when we played. When I would get real estate questions on 'Money Talk,' I would rely on Charles for his expert opinion," said Stuart, president of Carl Stuart Investment Advisor Inc. "We often talked about our families. Charles cared deeply for his family and felt a personal sense of responsibility to help and encourage everyone," Stuart said. Mitchell said Heimsath's marriage to wife Christy Heimsath was "a 40-plus year love affair." "They traveled together a lot, shared meals with many friends, and loved creating family gatherings with his children and grandchildren," Mitchell said. "My wife and I were honored to be their friends." In a Facebook post, son Charlie Heimsath said that "it's hard to imagine a world without his presence." "He was a loving Father, Husband, Grandfather and a leader to many," Charlie Heimsath wrote. "He fought his cancer to the very end to remain here with us but his suffering has ended. We miss him perpetually, but the memories we shared with him will remain with us forever." Along with family, faith was a significant part of Heimsath's life. "He was in a men's group with eight other men for close to 20 years," Mitchell said. "He always saw the big, eternal picture and his faith led him in his work and relationships — serving others; loving others; helping others; lifting people up simply because it was the right thing to do." Heimsath was committed to his faith until the end, friends said. "He fully understood that life on this Earth is temporary, but your faith and actions here on earth dictate your eternity," Mitchell said. "As such, he lived well, following his faith." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Service set for longtime Austin real estate expert Charles Heimsath
