The Maine Department and Health and Human Services will receive nearly $17 million to improve maternal health care among vulnerable children and mothers, the department announced Monday.

The funds, awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, are part of the Transforming Maternal Health Model, a new initiative designed to focus exclusively on maternal health care for those enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the department announced Monday. The latter program offers discounted health insurance to children in families earning too much to qualify for Medicaid.

The new model is a decade-long program in which the state will receive funding along with technical assistance from the federal government. Grant money will be distributed over the course of the program, the department said.

Department Commissioner Sara Gagné-Holmes said the program will build on previous improvements to Maine’s maternal health care system, including the department’s recent expansion of postpartum coverage to a full year after birth.

“Creating a system of care where every pregnant person has timely access to the perinatal care and support they need, regardless of their circumstances or where they live, is fundamental to ensuring the best outcomes for pregnant people and their babies so that families can thrive,” Gagné-Holmes said in a written statement.

The first three years of the program will be spent working with health care providers, community organizations and members of the public to develop detailed plans to improve care, expand the workforce and change the way payments are handled.

Those plans will be implemented over the following seven years, the department said.

Maine is one of 15 states included in the program, and the only one in New England.