Tuesday, the state Legislature took a first step toward recognizing and honoring a vital part of the state’s health care network — family caregivers.

At great personal and financial cost, the estimated 178,000 family caregivers in Maine fill critical gaps in the medical, psychological and emotional care of our neighbors with chronic illnesses or disabilities.

With the passage of this Joint Caregiver Resolution, the Legislature recognized that family caregivers provide approximately 165 million hours of unpaid care for aging and ailing loved ones. Representatives pledged to recognize and support family caregivers and to review state policies and programs to more effectively meet the needs of the aging population.

I am writing to express my thanks for this important step in that endeavor and to encourage the Legislature to follow through with concrete proposals and support.

William Phillips, Auburn