JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As the markets plunge and businesses close, jobs are disappearing across the Jacksonville area left and right.
But in Baymeadows, a Jacksonville-based company is on a hiring spree due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We hope to be able to create upwards of 500-600 jobs over the next few days and weeks,” said Matt Polimeni, Chief of Staff at The HCI Group.
The HCI Group is a healthcare IT company that’s working with dozens of hospitals across the U.S. right now to keep up with the crisis and increased demand for medical help.
“Now we are able to answer their calls right away,” said Andrew Lux, HCI Vice President of Application Services. “We’re preventing people from having to go to the hospital if they have worries or concerns and questions.”
Customer service representatives are triaging calls for hospitals and sending patients the right direction for help. The new jobs start at $17 an hour.
“They ask questions like what are your current symptoms? Based on those symptoms, they’ll direct that patient to go to a primary care doctor or go to an ER. Or sit tight,” said Kevin Probst, HCI Program Director.
Over the past couple of weeks, the company had been working to move employees to their office building in Baymeadows, but now with the CDC asking people to socially distance themselves and self-isolate, the company is moving to work from home operations.
Other companies are hiring as well:
- Walmart is looking to add 9,400 associates in Florida
- Dollar General is looking for up to 50,000 across the US
- Amazon is looking for 100,000 workers across the country
- Sprouts Farmers Market wants 110 people for a new Jacksonville store on Beach Boulevard
- Publix and Winn-Dixie also looking to hire
“Everyone is extremely gripped by this crisis and trying to figure out day-to-day life. And obviously, in health care, they’re trying to run the business as usual and currently nothing is business as usual,” Polimeni said.
Anyone wishing to get a job with HCI can send a resume to recruiting@thehcigroup.com or visit thehcigroup.com.