A doctor and her Florida clinic are under investigation by the Florida Department of Health (FDH) after several people contracted hepatitis C (HCV) at the facility, according to Florida Today.

 

While no specific source of HCV has been confirmed, FDH officials report that three individuals were infected with a “very rare strain” of HCV between March 2024 and February 2025. The only common potential exposure among the three individuals was their treatment by Lily Voepel, MD,  also known as Li Jin Voepel, at her Interventional Pain Management clinic in Melbourne, Florida.

 

The three individuals reportedly underwent multiple procedures involving the injection of medication under intravenous sedation at Voepel’s office. Officials suspect the HCV spread from unsterilized instruments or equipment used at the facility.

 

HCV is a contagious but curable disease caused by a virus that infects the liver. HCV is a blood-borne virus that, if left untreated, can cause lifelong infection, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure and death. 

 

According to WESH 2 Orlando, the 16-page FDH report’s cites specific issues at the facility, including:

 

  • The facility did not have a handwashing station with the capability to sterilize the surgical team members’ hands prior to the procedure.
  • The crash cart contained several vials and syringes of medications that were expired.
  • Reusable medical equipment that underwent reprocessing was not observed to be mechanically cleaned.
  • Needles were located outside the sharp container bin.
  • A single-use bag of saline had been used to withdraw saline flushes for multiple patients.

 

Although Voepel still holds her medical license and continues to see patients, she says she is withholding all procedures. Florida’s surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, MD, PhD, ordered the emergency restriction of her medical license on March 12, restricting her from performing any medical procedures “involving intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous injections” or “any procedure involving inserting a needle of other device into the skin.”

 

“Dr. Voepel is fully transparent and cooperating with everything that’s been requested of her from the Florida Department of Health,” Voepel’s attorney, Geoffrey Smith, told Florida Today. “We do not have sufficient information from the department of health to evaluate the accuracy of some of the allegations contained in these emergency orders. We’ve requested that information, but they have not yet provided that information.”

 

Today, HCV treatment is easier and shorter than ever before, and the vast majority of people can be cured with a brief course of combination antiviral therapy, according to Hep’s Health Basics on HCV Treatment.

In the past, treatment required weekly injections for six months to a year, caused difficult side effects, including flu-like symptoms, depression and anemia, and cured only about half of treated patients. 

 

Today, modern direct-acting antiviral therapy usually involves one pill once daily, usually for two or three months. The medications are generally well tolerated, and more than 90% of treated people achieve a sustained virological response, meaning continued undetectable virus 12 or 24 months after completing therapy, considered a cure.

 

To learn more, click #Hepatitis C. There, you’ll find headlines such as “18 People Test Positive for HIV and Hepatitis C in Maine County Cluster,” “Community Surveys Show Enthusiasm for Long-Acting Hepatitis C Cure Research” and “Addressing Treatment Gap for People With HIV and Hepatitis C.”