Maine nurses protest MaineHealth's ties to AI software company Palantir - WGME

Maine nurses protest MaineHealth's ties to AI software company Palantir

PORTLAND (WGME) -- Nurses launched a protest Thursday against MaineHealth and its ties to Palantir, an AI software company famous for defense and intelligence contracts.

Palantir Technology also helps ICE locate people suspected of being in the country illegally.

Their software is also in hospitals across the country.

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Nurses at Maine Medical Center are demanding MaineHealth cut all ties with the AI software giant, Palantir.

But nurses say MaineHealth has told them they have no intention of doing that.

"This notorious surveillance company founded by right wing extremists has no place in our hospital," emergency room nurse Meg Sinclair said.

MaineHealth nurses accuse Palantir of aiding in the Gaza genocide, targeting civilians in Iran and helping ICE “terrorize people like Johan Sebastian Guerrero, who was shot and killed by ICE in Biddeford as he left home for work.”

"Nurses feared it was only a matter of time before someone in our community would be killed," Sinclair said. "MaineHealth is knowingly bankrolling an entity that is actively harming our community."

Nurses say some of MaineHealth's own employees feel threatened by ICE.

"How can we ask those employees to trust us when we maintain a partnership with a company whose name has become synonymous with ICE?" Maine Medical Center Nurse Sarah English said.

MaineHealth declined CBS13’s interview request, but it said that it works with Palantir to challenge insurance denials.

Hospital officials say, "This tool has helped overturn inappropriate coverage denials for thousands of MaineHealth patients for medically necessary care."

They also say, "MaineHealth maintains strict safeguards to protect patient information, and it is not shared outside of MaineHealth’s oversight."

But nurses say they have no way of knowing if that's true without seeing the contract with Palantir.

"The entire contract is shrouded in secrecy despite our numerous requests for information surrounding their relationship," Sinclair said.

CBS13 reached out to Palantir for comment, but we did not hear back.

The company, which provides services for government and commercial purposes, did give a statement to NPR saying, "When Palantir employees are granted access to data, it is solely to help integrate and analyze that data, not to store it or use it for our own purposes."

MaineHealth insists Palantir does not have access to hospital data.

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Nurses aren't so sure.

"I don't believe it for a second,” Sinclair said. “I believe, perhaps, MaineHealth believes it. But I don't think they know the devil that they're dancing with."

"Perception matters,” English said. “The fear is real, and those fears deserve to be heard, rather than dismissed and ignored."

Nurses say healthcare depends on trust and confidentiality, and if patients think their data is compromised, they may avoid hospitals rather than seek treatment.

CBS13 also questioned ICE about this but got no response.