The Optimistâs Daughter begins in New Orleans, Louisiana. The beginning of the novel takes place in a hospital in the bustling city during Marti Gras. After the Judge passes, the majority of the novel is set in Laurelâs childhood home, in her fatherâs hometown of Mount Salus, Mississippi.
The two largest hospitals in Huntington are St. Mary's Medical Center and Cabell Huntington Hospital. St. Mary's and Cabell-Huntington are jointly designated as the only trauma center in the region.
West Virginia University Hospitals is a general medical and surgical hospital in Morgantown, WV. It performed nearly at the level of nationally ranked U.S. News Best Hospitals in 1 adult specialty. West Virginia University Hospitals has 524 beds. The hospital had 25,979 admissions in the latest year for which data are available.