2025 Letter from the Director
Dear beloved community,
Astoria Birth Center & Family Medicine has turned five. We are still a little startup healthcare provider, but our heart continues to be centered on giving meaningful healthcare options to you, our community.
I am honored to say I have worked with some of the best people there are.
Carolyn, Corinne, Ashley, and Mariah have been with our practice for 5, 3, 2.5, and 3 years, respectively. They have served faithfully, providing loving, human care as a team. Each one of them has given heart and soul to bring Astoria Birth Center & Family Medicine into its current form.
All four providers will be embracing new journeys after the first of the year, and I am filled with bittersweet gratitude for the time we have had together. Each one of them leaves with my love and blessing as they pursue their next calling in life.
Four new providers are joining us and will be the stewards of our next generation at ABCFM. 2026 is bringing us Dr. Gabriella “Gabby” Bruce (who started orienting in October and will be providing full-time primary care in our new DPC model starting January 1); Julianne Lukassen, CNM, SANE (from Nebraska); Julia Hamilton, CPM, LDEM (from Portland); and Tiffany Negley, CNM (from Minnesota). We are excited to welcome their expertise, new energy, and fresh perspectives as they make their moves to join us here.
Sarah, Liberty, Mikayla, and Madison will continue to run the day-to-day affairs of the office. They are the backbone of our practice, and we are grateful to them for keeping everything running beautifully.
As for me, I will be continuing as executive director, RN, and birth assistant, and will be advancing the work of healthcare sustainability as Vice President of the American Association of Birth Centers.
Please read on – each provider has written a note for you as well.
With optimism for a wonderful 2026, for all of us,
Rebeckah Orton, BS RN SANE
executive director
Going: Dr. Carolyn Nygaard
After 16 deeply rewarding years (10 years in Astoria) of serving this community through primary care and pediatrics, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each of you. It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to walk alongside you and your families in health, growth, and healing. Whether we've shared milestones, tackled health challenges, or simply checked in for annual visits, I carry immense gratitude for the trust you've placed in me over the years.
As I step away from primary care and pediatrics, I’m excited to share that I will remain here in the Astoria area and continue my work in a new capacity—focusing on specialty care centered on wellness and prevention. I will continue both virtually and in-person through Naturopathic by Design. I’m joining an amazing team based out of Portland, Maine and opening a satellite clinic on the North Coast! If you're curious about this new direction or would like to continue working together in this new model of care, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact the clinic at info@naturopathicbydesign.com to learn more. Thank you again for the privilege of being your doctor. I look forward to this next chapter and hope to continue supporting your wellness journey in new and meaningful ways!
Coming: Dr. Gabby Bruce
Hi! I recently joined the lovely team at Astoria Birth Center and Family Medicine. I'm so excited to get to join this amazing community and work with you.
I grew up in Portland Oregon and have lived there most of my life. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Public Health at Santa Clara University while taking pre-medical courses, and then attended the National University of Natural Medicine where I graduated in June of this year. I moved to Astoria in October and so far, have loved getting to know everyone, exploring the area, and trying the local restaurants (I love seafood).
In my free time I love spending time with family and friends, snuggling with my cat (Buggy), trying new recipes (I love to bake), knitting, and running or walking on the beach. Over the past few months, I've had the opportunity to shadow Dr Carolyn Nygaard and Dr Ashley Long and meet many of you. If I haven't met you yet I am looking forward to doing so! I will be seeing patients of all ages for primary care at Astoria Family Medicine. I am passionate about integrative care, shared decision making and evidence-based medicine. I'm excited to get to work with you!
Going: Corinne Reeves, CNM WHNP
I feel overwhelmed with gratitude to have had the opportunity to care for you and your families at ABC over the last few years. Working with you, as well as with my team at the birth center, has been the honor of a lifetime. Witnessing the model of care that ABC provides absolutely transformed me as a provider and made me realize what healthcare can look like when we put people first. I am so sad to leave the birth center, but I’ve been working as a midwife in Astoria for nearly a decade now, and it is becoming increasingly hard to juggle the long nights with having small children at home (note to babies of the future: could you please try to be born in the daytime, please?) I am planning to shift my focus to well woman visits, gynecologic care, and menopausal care so that I can continue to care for the amazing women in this community without having to work the crazy hours that birth requires. Ocean Beach Hospital has asked me to help open a women’s health service line on the peninsula so I will be working as a provider there starting in January. I will miss all of you dearly and will be popping into the birth center frequently to say hi. I am so incredibly grateful and in awe of my colleagues who will carry the torch forward and continue to spend their nights at the birth center so that you can have your babies there (plus take advantage of the full spectrum care that ABC offers!) Thank you to all of you for being part of this journey with me.
Coming: Julianne Lukassen, CNM
Hi everyone! I’m Julianne, and I’m excited to be joining the Astoria Birth Center this January as a midwife. I recently graduated from Frontier Nursing University and bring 13 years of nursing experience including Labor and Delivery and Forensic Nursing. My husband and I, along with our four kids, are moving from western Nebraska and are eager to explore Oregon and settle into life in Astoria. I’m thrilled to practice within the midwifery model of care and can’t wait to meet you and your families. When we meet, please share your recommendations on the best restaurants, hikes, and hidden gems
Going: Dr. Ashley Long, ND NM
As most of you already know, I’ll be leaving the birth center at the end of December to move to Bellingham, Washington. I’m due with my first baby in February and plan to take a sweet maternity leave before easing back into part-time midwifery and gynecology at a birth center up there. I’ve talked with so many of you already and feel the bittersweetness of this transition. I am excited for my next adventure and deeply sad to leave. We’ve shared laughs, tears, milestones, the joy of watching families grow, newborns taking their first breath, those same newborns becoming toddlers, and everything in between. It has been such a deep honor to walk beside you through all of it. I will miss my patients, my team, and Astoria so much. Please know I’ll carry the lessons and the love with me—and hopefully I’ll see you around when I come back to visit.
Coming: Julia Hamilton, CPM LDM
I’m thrilled to be starting my new role at Astoria Birth Center as one of the primary midwives. It feels like an incredible opportunity to support families during such meaningful moments in their lives, and I’m honored to join a team so dedicated to compassionate, community-centered care. I’m excited to bring my skills, learn from my colleagues, and grow alongside the families we serve. I can’t wait to get started!
Going : Mariah Wharton, CNM DNP
(April 2026)
It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to walk beside you during some of your most meaningful and transformative moments. Thank you for trusting me, teaching me, and truly shaping me into the midwife I am today. Every birth, all the tears, every belly laugh, and all the tender moments have meant the world to me.
I’m excited to share that I’ll be stepping into a new chapter—launching a home birth practice! After being deeply inspired by my own home birth, this path feels like a natural and heartfelt evolution of the work I love—supporting families in the comfort of their own homes, with personalized, and continuous care. While I may no longer see you within the walls of ABC, please know that your impact remains with me always. I am endlessly grateful for the trust you placed in me and for the privilege of being part of your journeys. Thank you for helping me learn, grow, and find my heart as a midwife.
Coming: Tiffany Negley, CNM
(March 2026)
Hello Astoria Birth Center Community, my name is Tiffany, and I am truly honored to be joining the team at Astoria Birth Center & Family Medicine. I’ve spent over a decade in the birth world, and in that time I’ve developed a deep respect for the intuition, strength, and wisdom that unfold in physiological birth. Supporting families during such a meaningful and transformative time is a privilege, and I strive to offer care that is compassionate, grounding, and centered on the unique needs of each birthing person. I’m grateful to be joining a community that values connection, autonomy, and the sacredness of birth, and I look forward to getting to know you all and being part of the beautiful work happening here.