With one-quarter of Bermuda?s young children having asthma and many schools having a poor breathing environment because of old carpets and pets in the classroom, the Open Airways (OA) charity has purchased a van for a full-time nurse to visit schools.

The van purchase was made possible by a $55,000 donation from the Bermuda End to End walk, OA president and registered nurse Liz Boden said yesterday.

?We have been working closely with the school nurses who work for the Ministry of Health to put together a Bermuda schools asthma policy to tackle these problems,? Mrs. Boden said in a release.

?The nurse will be able to visit every school on a regular basis and hold workshops and seminars for teachers, parents and the children with asthma.?

Many schools had no asthma registry and parents have often had no asthma education and did not know what to do in an emergency, she said.

And children often come to school without their rescue/relief medication, she said, or spend the night in an Emergency Room being treated for asthma and then be dropped off at school the following day without teachers being advised.

?It will go out into the community for children,? Anne Mello, Chairwoman of the End of End Walk Ms Mello said. ?That is what the End to End is all about.?

The donation would help keep the asthma mobile, or ?AZmobile? for short, running for three years, she said, however, the Department of Health would hopefully take it over after that.

Health and Family Services Minister Patrice Minors said her Ministry fully supported the programme that enhanced the nursing support for local schools.

?I applaud Open Airways and End to End,? Mrs. Minors said. ?It is an excellent example of public private partnerships to solve problems.?

OA aims to improve the quality of life for people of all ages who suffer from asthma, allergy and other chronic respiratory diseases. Similar school nurse programmes in the US showed an increase in student productivity, fewer hospital visits for children and less work days lost for parents.