Gayla Oakley, RN, director of Cardiology and Prevention Services at the Boone County Health Center, is the recipient of the 2008 American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Distinguished Service Award.
This is a prestigious national award and is presented to only three individuals yearly for their work in the area of cardiac and pulmonary care. The award recognizes the leadership role that individuals have demonstrated within the organization.
As a member of AACPR, Gayla has served on the membership committee and has served twice as chairman of the certification committee, which reviews national cardiac and pulmonary programs to determine whether they meet the criteria to be accredited as cardiac-pulmonary rehab programs.
Under Gayla’s leadership, the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation at Boone County Health Center was one of the first to be accredited in the United States and currently is only one of 17 certified programs in Nebraska.
Oakley has been at the Health Center for 23 years and started the Cardiac Rehabilitation program in 1985. The program has expanded 100 fold and now serves residents from six counties.
In 2007, the program moved to the new Rudman Rehabilitation Center at the Health Center, which offers state-of-the-art cardiac and pulmonary exercise equipment and services.
