Derm Dispatch: Amy Snow, PA-C, on Turning a Non-Compete Setback Into a Mission That Changes Lives

In the latest episode of Derm Dispatch, host Renata Block, DMSc, MMS, PA-C, sat down with her colleague Amy Snow, PA-C.

Snow, a dermatology physician assistant (PA) practicing at Snow Dermatology in Bend, Orego, shared how her experience with a restrictive non-compete clause initially uprooted her life but ultimately led to the creation of a dermatologic nonprofit called Project Happy Face.

“You ended up taking something that was negative and turning it into something just extraordinary,” Block said.

A Non-Compete Clause Sparks Crisis

The conversation opened with the topic that altered the trajectory of Snow’s career: non-compete clauses. A year-long clause in her contract prohibited her from working within a 60-mile mapped radius, effectively displacing her from central Oregon and making employment options appear virtually impossible.

“With my non-compete clause, I was unable to work within a 60-mile radius,” Snow explained. “If you look at the map, you'll see central Oregon is on the other side of the Cascades. The closest towns where I could work were 3.5 hours away.”

Not only did the clause lead to a long period of unemployment, it also impacted the community she had been serving.

“I was not replaced,” she said. “My entire patient panel… basically was a set of new patients that needed to go out and find a new dermatology office… That's interruptions in your biologic care. That’s skin cancer excisions.”

In addition to limiting her employment opportunities, Snow was also unable to volunteer within that designated radius.

“I couldn’t even be at the free clinic,” she recalled. “The non-compete included working and volunteering and planning.”

The financial, emotional, and physical toll was intense, as Snow was commuting 3.5 hours away from her family and home, renting a second place to live, and working long clinic hours. Eventually, the stress caught up with her.

“I actually ended up with early stage adrenal failure, probably from the stress of it all,” she shared.

The Creation of Project Happy Face

Faced with these constraints, Snow chose to put her passion toward innovation. Drawing on a nonprofit she had started back in 2009 in Los Angeles, she reignited Project Happy Face, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing free acne care to disadvantaged teens.

“We provide free medical-grade acne care, in exchange for signing a contract to smile at strangers and pledging to increase civility in your community,” she said.

She soon expanded the mission to broader dermatologic care by acquiring a mobile medical unit with 2 exam rooms, creating a dermatology clinic on wheels.

“Now, we are a full-blown dermatology clinic on wheels,” Snow said. “We have partnered with a dermatopathologist that has granted us unlimited biopsies and surgeries at no charge, so we can really roll into a town and provide quality, kind dermatology care for free.”

Her guiding philosophy? “If you smile at a stranger, I'll treat you for free.”

Delivering Care to Oregon’s Most Underserved

With 66% of Oregon considered underserved, and many counties lacking even basic dermatology access, Snow said Project Happy Face is helping fill a crucial health care gap.

“We really feel that we are the lifeline between the frontier rural counties and an urban health care system,” she emphasized.

The mobile clinic now visits various counties on a weekly and monthly basis.

• Tuesdays are reserved for local communities in Deschutes County.
• Evenings are spent volunteering at the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of the Cascades.
• Saturdays are for traveling to more remote towns,. sometimes upwards of 5 hours away.

“We’re focused on what they call ‘the range,’” Snow said, referencing eastern and southern Oregon, where dermatologic care is nearly nonexistent.

Sustainable Philanthropy: A Strategic Plan

To keep the mobile clinic running, Project Happy Face has developed a self-sustaining model. Funding comes from:

• Profits from a skin care line that supports the nonprofit.
• Fundraising events and private donors.
• Partnerships with pharmaceutical companies that offer educational support and donations.

“We created a card deck lecture series for these poor rural frontier APPs… so we’re providing education and care,” Snow said.

Volunteer Opportunities and Future Expansion

For licensed PAs in other states, Snow offered a clear path to get involved.

“If you are licensed in another state, you can come to Oregon and volunteer 30 days a year,” she explained. “Just send me your license, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Snow has also been laying the groundwork for expansion into Utah, Idaho, and even Texas.

“Our next step is to grow Project Happy Face into other states… and create a sense of community wherever we go,” she said.

While the journey has been far from easy, Snow has found fulfillment and a renewed sense of purpose through philanthropy.

“There’s something so magical that happens in your heart,” she said. “If anyone out there is on the verge of burnout, volunteering is your path forward. I promise you.”

Ultimately, the non-compete that once felt like a career-ending roadblock became a launchpad.

“That non-compete was probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” Snow concluded.

Interested in volunteering or supporting Project Happy Face?
Visit ProjectHappyFace.org or email Amy directly at Amy@ProjectHappyFace.org.