The facility was the first state-operated sanatorium in the United States, opening in 1898 and operating for around 93 years before its closure in 1991.

Rutland Heights opened under the title “Massachusetts Hospital for Consumptives and Tubercular Patients,” to which it operated until 1900, where it was renamed to “Massachusetts State Sanatorium.” In 1919 it was renamed to “Rutland State Sanatorium,” which was the longest operating name of the hospital, effective until 1963.

This assessment determined if the patient was of suitable progression to continue their admittance, or if they were to be transferred to a different facility.

[5] The first decade of operation saw the hospital focus on the benefits of fresh air and exercise as means to treat Tuberculosis.

Patients were instructed to participate in moderate exercise out in the open air, with intermittent periods of rest.

In 1917, the standard procedure was changed to involve primarily bed rest, with patients requiring special permission to perform any sort of strenuous activity.

[5] Other procedures such as thoracoplasties, bronchoscopies, and in rare cases surgeries were carried out, when needed, though they were not as common as pneumothorax.