CHP to host local blood drive in honor of Officer Andy Ornelas

LANCASTER – The California Highway Patrol will be hosting a blood drive in Lancaster this Thursday in honor of Andy Ornelas, the 27-year-old local motorcycle officer who died in December from injuries sustained in a traffic collision.

The blood drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 13, and it will hosted by the Antelope Valley CHP at their office, located at 2041 West Avenue I.

The CHP and Houchin Community Blood Bank are joining forces to encourage local residents to donate blood in honor of Officer Ornelas, who joined the CHP in 2016 to continue his family’s legacy in law enforcement and to help create a future that people would be proud of.

“Officer Andy Ornelas was dedicated to serving his community and to saving lives, both as a former paramedic and as a CHP officer,” said Captain Eric Broneer of the Antelope Valley CHP. “He was on his way to help a complete stranger when he made the ultimate sacrifice. It is in his spirit I hope people will make the decision to donate blood; to help save the life of someone they’ve never met.”

Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. requires a life-saving blood transfusion, and each donated unit of whole blood can save up to three lives.

For more information on the local blood drive, contact Synthia Rocha at srocha@hcbb.com or 661-331-1313.

Appointments are highly recommended for this drive. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, visit www.hcbb.com/schedule. For more information about safety precautions, visit www.hcbb.com/covid.