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.
Riverside Regional Medical Center. Riverside began serving the Virginia Peninsula community in 1916. In 1963 Riverside moved to the present 72-acre location in Newport News on J. Clyde Morris Boulevard. A 450-bed facility, Riverside Regional Medical Center is the Virginia Peninsula's most comprehensive medical facility combining the most recent computerized medical technology with a healing environment.