For the first time in Michigan, the state, its leading hospitals, and universities are teaming up with one simple objective: “to stop moms and babies from dying.”

Fourteen of Michigan’s leading health networks and institutions gathered Monday to announce a collaboration funded with state dollars meant to decrease the state’s maternal and infant mortality rates.

The program aims to dramatically reduce premature births and help treat or prevent dangerous conditions during pregnancy, like pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure.