St Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center and the University of Arizona College of Medicine have signed an agreement to establish a centre for valley fever in Phoenix.

St. Joseph’s Hospital president and CEO Linda Hunt said that partnership will create a place to coordinate comprehensive care for patients, educate doctors and support research to improve the care of the disease, and eventually cure and prevent the it altogether.

”The centre plans to see patients by the beginning of 2012,” Hunt added.

John Galgiani, who will run the centre, said that it will integrate the skills of many specialists, resulting in better care for patients and better support for physicians through coordination and consultation.