“We live in a capitalist society where money moves people: you pay to play,” states Dr. Val Torres in our latest episode of I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY, where he shares his Coming to America story that began with coming to terms with inequities he had to deal with to build a life here in the U.S. Val was able to fast-track his medical degree debt-free, graduating from St. Mary's College in Trinidad with an associate's degree equivalent in alignment with the country’s British Education System, and being admitted to St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada on a full-ride scholarship. After graduating with a medical doctorate, Val came to the U.S. and found it challenging to adjust to a U.S. Healthcare system that is for-profit and predatory if you don’t have the financial means to gain access to quality care.

 

“Contrary to popular belief, doctors and hospitals can’t do much to fix it because it’s the insurance companies that have all the power,” Val shares. Disgusted, in realizing that “your well is your health and vice versa”, he opted out of clinical medicine, in favor of entrepreneurship. As the President and CEO at Armada BusinessMD, Val operates in the financial services and business consulting space, serving clients in all 50 states. His focus is on reducing disparities in access to healthcare, housing, education, and economic opportunity via business development and financial education, serving as the de facto resource broker for the companies and organizations he collaborates with in eliminating the issue of inequitable access for people of color and immigrants like him. “People turn a blind eye to disparities in Healthcare, Housing, Education, and Economic Opportunities, mainly because they don't belong to the underserved groups that are impacted most. But the truth is, as a U.S. taxpayer, it does affect you,” Val adds.