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.
Davis Medical Center is a general medical and surgical hospital in Elkins, WV, with 80 beds. Survey data for the latest year available shows that 28,098 patients visited the hospital's emergency room. The hospital had a total of 2,835 admissions. Its physicians performed 653 inpatient and 2,532 outpatient surgeries.