It took some effort to figure out what this article actually says. They are not saying that the suicide hotline dropped 1.4 million calls in roughly two years. Instead, they are saying that the VA’s Health Resource Center - which presumably takes all kinds of calls - has this problem with phone service.
The conclusion one is expected to draw seems to be that this organization is not the best choice to manage a suicide hotline.
Ah, should have translated it. And you are correct. Seems the backlog of regular issues is causing an avalanche (not snowballing).