Nebraska will soon be faced with widespread retirements among its health care workers, a profession already in short supply.

Keith Muller, an administrator in the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Public Health, told University of Nebraska on Friday that more than half the state's health professionals are between the ages of 46 and 65.

He presented a study of the health work force during the regents' visit to the Omaha campus. UNMC staff members are developing a strategy to help Nebraska deal with worker shortages projected in 2020.

A lack of health workers has already been felt across Nebraska, particularly in state institutions. Administrators have cut back on admissions and made staff overtime mandatory.

Nebraska health officials say they're coping with the shortages of government-employed health workers.

Spokeswoman Marla Augustine says worker shortages are felt across the department, extending into veterans homes and mental health centers. She says this is not a new problem, but a growing one.

John Hilgert, who oversees the state's veterans homes, says staffing issues are most pronounced in the Grand Island and Bellevue facilities, but administrators are being proactive. In Grand Island, for example, some of the home has been consolidated to make better use of staff, and training is being offered for prospective nurses aids.