Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes launches €10 million emergency cooling plan for hospitals and schools

The Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes region announced a €10 million emergency air‑conditioning programme to protect residents from recurring heatwaves. Regional president Fabrice Pannekoucke and special adviser Laurent Wauquiez presented the plan, which prioritises hospital emergency departments, followed by schools and disadvantaged municipalities.

Within three weeks the region will deliver around 1,000 mobile air‑conditioners to hospital emergency rooms and other public facilities. €1.5 million is earmarked for permanent upgrades to at least one emergency‑room space per hospital, while €1 million will be used to cool exam rooms in high‑school classrooms by summer 2027. The bulk of the funding (€7 million) will support poorer communes in installing permanent cooling solutions in town halls, schools, gyms or care homes.

The initiative follows a recent severe heatwave that raised emergency‑room visits for dehydration, renal failure and heat‑related accidents, especially among the elderly and pregnant women. Officials stressed the need for rapid action to mitigate health risks as further extreme temperature episodes are expected throughout the summer.