In 1990, Ḥakīm Ilyās had a vision of a center that would provide treatment, training, and education. In 2000, after a decade of formal study and earning the necessary credentials and licenses, he opened the Circle of One 501c3 non-profit Center of Traditional Medicine. The Circle of One clinic was a small-scale version of what he is now working to build –the akīm Wellness Health, Education, and Retreat Center.