Upon establishing a review committee in 2011, the Missouri Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review completed a historical analysis of maternal deaths from 1999 through 2008. By 2013, the committee had not yet engaged community stakeholders, and decided to use its findings as an opportunity to raise awareness of maternal mortality in the state. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services conducted town hall meetings with health providers and the public to share its findings from reviewing more than a decade of maternal deaths. In addition to raising awareness of the problem of maternal mortality, the committee wanted to solicit community perspectives on the major barriers to care for pregnant women so that it could develop targeted interventions. The community’s feedback was consistent with the committee’s findings: limited access to care, unhealthy lifestyles, prevalence of chronic conditions and substance use, poor health literacy and inadequate provider knowledge of contributors to maternal mortality are all challenges that require greater attention. Ultimately, these findings led Missouri to prioritize preconception health on its state health agenda.