Dr. Max Goodwin states that New Amsterdam is "the oldest public hospital in America." Bellevue Hospital Center, on which New Amsterdam is based, is, in fact, the oldest public hospital in the country, dating back to 1736.
Some establishing shots and scenes with a few characters are filmed on weekends at Bellevue Hospital Center, the New York City hospital about which Dr. Eric Manheimer wrote his memoir, "Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital." Bellevue Hospital reopened in 2013 after months of renovations following flood damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The facility's iconic modern atrium encloses its original stone facade, including the archway emblazoned with the word "Administration" that appears in the show.
Conner Marx, who plays sign language interpreter Ben, knew a few signs before joining the cast but is not fluent in ASL. Sandra Mae Frank, who plays Dr. Wilder, had a personal interpreter on set, and the show also employed a sign language translator who translated relevant passages for Marx's character and trained him to sign them. Frank also noted in an online interview that while Dr. Wilder reads lips, she does not, relying instead on her personal interpreter and the episode script to keep up with other actors.
In the early 1600s, the Dutch settled on Manhattan Island's Southern tip and named the area New Amsterdam. On 8 September 1664, New Amsterdam was renamed New York after the Duke of York.